


Hummingbird

by orphan_account



Category: The Walking Dead
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-18
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2019-07-13 20:28:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 80,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16025417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Michonne and Rick have been best friends since childhood, but as they're preparing to leave high school, they're realising how much harder it will be stay as close, especially with such contrasting personalities. Delinquent Rick. Almost obedient Michonne. AU. No walkers. Originally posted by TheBaeTide on FF.net





	1. Chapter 1

"Grimes!"

Rick groaned as he got up from the chair. His scuffed black Timberland boots dragged along the floor as he walked into the principal's office. She sighed at the sight of him as he dropped down into the another chair.

"We had a deal Grimes! You're not to show your face in here unless its voluntary! What on earth were you thinking!?"

He sat back, crossed one leg over the other and shrugged, "Seemed like a good idea at the time"

Her mouth dropped open as an eye twitched, "Using the Bunsen burner to light a cigarette seemed like a good idea?"

His eyes darted behind her as he thought, then back at her as he nodded.

She stared at him in disbelief, "Why on earth where you trying to smoke in class anyway?"

His brow furrowed as he looked at his principle, wondering if she was asking a rhetorical question, "...Because I smoke?"

"I know you smoke! But I've told you before we do not tolerate that here!", Her eyes bulged as she stressed her point.

He stared at her, hearing her words but choosing not to store the information as he slowly nodded.

"Rick. You know that I know your parents well, they're good people, and the only reason I haven't kicked you out is because I know you have potential to be a great man one day! You're so damn smart yet so dumb at the same time! I refuse to warn you again, you know the rules here"

He looked behind her again, then back at her. The school day was ending and he wanted to leave as quickly as possible, "I get it. I'm sorry. I won't smoke in the science lab-"

"You won't smoke on school grounds!"

He held back a sigh, "I won't smoke on school grounds anymore, okay? It won't happen again"

"Good! It better not", She rubbed her temples as she rested her elbows on the desk in front of her.

He winced at her as he waited for her to dismiss him, "Can I go now?"

She waved her hands dismissively at him, "Yes, get out"

He smiled, "Bye Mrs Niedermeyer"

He hopped up from his chair and almost sprinted out the office. He was used to this routine; he'd do something he knew was ridiculous, get sent to her office, she'd reprimand him, and he'd leave. It had been a consistent part of his day for as long as he could remember.

"You get in trouble?"

"Course he didn't!"

Shane and Glenn waited for him at the front of the school in their designated spot. Rick grinned as he approached them, "Course I didn't"

"Hey! There's gonna be a fight happening around here pretty soon" Daryl appeared from behind Rick, tucking a cigarette behind his ear.

"Who's fighting?", Shane asked as he looked at his friend, already excited from hearing the word fight.

"That football player, Mike, and the runner, what's his name... Gareth?"

"Oh this is gonna be good" Shane's eyes lit up, "What happened with them?"

"Somethan' to do with Mike's girlfriend"

Shane clapped his hands together, "Pull up a seat gentleman"

Rick hopped up on the wall beside Glenn, ready to sit and wait for the drama to unfold, though it didn't take long. Mike appeared with his friends, wearing a very angry expression. Students stood around in anticipation. Rick's eyes scanned the faces for Mike's girlfriend, then stopped when he saw her. She was not far from Mike, watching him take off his football jacket with angry expression, her arms folded across her chest.

"Cha-Cha!"

Her eyes came off Mike, looking around at the students at the front of the school, then stopping when she saw Rick. He raised his eyebrows at her and he could tell she huffed before turning back. He smiled wickedly.

"Why do you call her that?", Glenn asked as he looked to him.

Rick shook his head, his eyes still locked on her, "I wish I could tell you Glenn but then I'd have to kill you"

Glenn frowned, looking back and forth between he and Michonne. Rick knew his friends thought his friendship with her was a strange one, but they knew better than to ask any too many questions as they would get a very vague reply.

Gareth appeared with his own friends and excitement grew. Rick moved to stand on the wall so he could get a better view. The two teens began to square up to each other, saying something inaudible to everyone else, when Mike took the first swing. Gareth stumbled back but quickly recovered, and lunged for him, sending him to the floor.

"Get them up! We can't see!", Shane ordered from the other side of Rick.

Mike managed to knock Gareth off him and stand, his clothes ruffled as he gathered himself. They had just began throwing punches again when a group of teachers appeared and began breaking it up, wrestling the two teens away from each other. Rick could tell Shane was heartbroken and it made him laugh. He watched Michonne stand helplessly to the side while Mike got taken back in the school, her friend Maggie rushing over to her.

Rick jumped down off the wall and walked over to her, shoving over students out the way, "What was that about?"

Her frown only deepened, "A misunderstanding. Again"

He nodded as he watched her, knowing she wasn't know any mood to go into too much detail, "You waiting for him?"

She tore her eyes away from the school entrance and fixed her bag on her shoulder, "Yeah"

"I got practice so I gotta go", Maggie gave her friend a wave as she began to walk off, "I'll call you later"

"Alright, make sure" Michonne waved back. She turned back to Rick, "Later?"

"Yeah, later"

She nodded as she turned back to the school, heading up the steps to the front entrance. He watched her walk away for a moment, before going back over to his friends.

"Let's move!", He called out to them as he passed them, taking a cigarette from behind his ear.

Nothing excited him more about leaving school and driving around causing mischief with his friends. If he could do that for the rest of his life he would die a happy man.

"Who knew if you knew the right people you could get fireworks this time of year"

Rick smirked as he watched Daryl light up the smallest firework and throw it into the distance, causing it to explode in mid-air.

"Gimme that big one"

Daryl handed Shane the largest and heaviest firework and the teen set it alight. Rick was sure the next moment happened in slow motion, as Shane hurled the firework down the car park at the abandoned steel factory, and watched it drop through the sunroof of a car. The firework went off inside, causing the seats to catch fire.

Rick didn't need to be told anything. He jumped back in his car and waited for the others to do the same.

Just as he pulled away, they heard a loud explosion that caused his car to bounce, as well all the cars parked nearby, setting their alarms off. Rick drove out of there as fast as he could, his heart pounding in his chest as adrenaline surged through him.

"We just blew up a car"

It didn't take long for fire engines to go speeding past them as they drove down the street. Rick watched them with glee. The four of them burst into a nervous laughter as he pulled up to a red light. He looked over at the car beside him to see three women sat in a small convertible with the roof down. His eyes scanned the driver.

"Nice car", She winked at him, her blonde hair glistening in the afternoon sun.

He smirked, "Thanks, you wanna see it up close?"

After an eventful afternoon and evening, Rick arrived home and headed straight upstairs. He knew his mother was in her study, and his father was probably asleep so he kicked off his boots and threw his jacket on his desk chair once he got in his room, not feeling the need to see them. He sent a text to Michonne before retrieving a rope ladder from his closet and hung it on the ledge of his window, waiting until he heard it drop before moving away.

He took off his shirt and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower pausing when he heard movement downstairs, then the door to his mother's study closing. He found his parents obsessions with their work always worked in his favour. His mother had been a Judge for almost as long as he'd been alive while his father ran his own food production company and they often brought their work home with them, which meant Rick had free reign to do whatever he wanted.

Once he showered and brushed his teeth to remove any ruminants of that evening's activities, he headed back to his room, where he found Michonne already in his bed, tying her hair up as she prepared to sleep.

"You took a while"

"I did", He threw his towel down and pulled on a pair of pyjama pants. He checked his phone on his desk and saw a text from the girl he met earlier. He cringed and put it back down.

He walked around to the other side of his bed and climbed in, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her towards him as he got comfortable, "You set your alarm?"

She nodded, resting her arm on top of his, "My birthday's coming up"

"I know" He closed his eyes and inhaled her scent, "What are you doing for it?"

"Nothing"

"Looks like we're doing nothan' then"

"Alright. Night"

"Night Cha-Cha"

...

Rick watched Michonne climb the rope ladder going back into her room, waiting until he saw her enter her room before he went to get ready for school. They came up with the method years before hand, so she could sneak into his room without her parent's knowledge, and without his mother's knowledge either. Her parents would never allow her to go over to his house, let alone spend the night.

He was still tired from the night before but tried his best to shake it off. He trudged down the stairs and headed straight to the kitchen.

"Saw Michonne going home"

His father was sat at the island reading a newspaper while he ate his toast. He was often the first one up in the household.

"She says hi", Rick grabbed a bowl then took out the milk from the fridge.

"She don't stay over as often anymore"

"She's studying a lot"

His father said nothing. He sat down next to him and ate his breakfast in silence, though his father got along fairly well. He knew Michonne had been staying over in their home and never told his mother or her parents. Rick appreciated him immensely for keeping the secret.

He headed back upstairs to get changed when he finished eating. His phone was already going off as his three friends would often start texting each other as soon as they woke up. He pulled on his black jeans and a black t-shirt, tying his red flannel shirt around his waist once he put his boots on. He grabbed his phone and keys off his desk and went back down stairs.

"Bye dad", He called as he left the house.

"Bye son"

He got in his car, pulled out the driveway and headed up the street, then stopped, allowing Michonne to get in. That was another way they would beat the obstacle that was her parents; she would wait for him at the bottom the street so she wouldn't be seen getting in his car.

He could tell something was bothering from the moment he saw her face.

"What's wrong Cha-Cha?", He started the car up again.

"Nothing", She sighed looking straight ahead with an unreadable expression.

"Why do girls always lie about that? You sit there looking all sad, and when you ask them what's wrong they say nothan' or I'm fine", His face contorted in confusion.

She looked at him, her annoyed expression now very easy for him to read, "Don't do that. Don't generalise"

He raised his eyebrows as it was his turn to sigh, "Fine! Why do some girls do that?"

"I don't know Rick! Stop grouping us all together, I'm me. I only know what I do", She stressed, pointing a finger at her chest.

He glanced at her face, already moving off the topic he started, "You're mad because of Mike?"

"I don't want to talk about him" She sat back in the chair and folder her arms.

He relented, "Alright… you gonna help me with my homework later?"

She shook her head as a small smile broke free, "For what class?"

He shrugged, "Whichever you want"

She finally smiled and it made his heart swell.

"You gonna help me then?"

"Fine, Rick"

He grinned, "Thank you Cha-Cha"

"Stop calling me that at school, too!", She studied the side of his face with serious eyes.

"Sorry! No one knows what it means any way. I haven't told anybody, have you?"

She huffed and sat back in the chair.

"Does he know?", His brow furrowed as his thoughts turned to her boyfriend.

"Of course not", She reassured as she looked back at him.

"Good. He doesn't need to know anythan' about us", He could feel himself getting worked up as he thought about she and Mike's relationship.

"He doesn't okay?"

He glanced over at her again, and gave her a quick nod.

"What did you do yesterday?"

He kept his attention on the road, "The usual"

"...So you played a couple pranks then ended up fucking a girl you-"

"Don't talk like that. I don't like it", He reprimanded as he turned a corner.

She gave a quick roll of her eyes, "Fine. You ended up having sex with some girl you met five minutes before"

"I didn't have sex with her. She just showed me a few talents of hers..."

"Oh really? Let me guess, she could play the piano well?"

He smirked as he gazed out the windshield, "Do I detect a hint of sarcasm from the virgin?"

She smiled as she teased him, leaning over in the passenger seat, "Who said I'm still a virgin?"

He smirk was replaced with a frown, he took a chance to look at her, "What?"

She cackled and nudged his arm, "Calm down alright, I'm kidding"

He continued to frown as he turned back to the road, "Don't joke about that"

"Rick-"

"Don't, Michonne", He warned. He rarely ever used her name, only when he was conveying how serious he was.

She groaned and sat back in the seat, folding her arms.

He kept sneaking glances at her as he drove them to school. He knew she was already annoyed with her boyfriend and he didn't meant to annoy her any further but they often butted heads when it came to their sense of humour and what each considered funny.

When he pulled up after finding a parking spot, he locked the doors before she could attempt to jump out the car. She looked at him, waiting for him to explain himself.

"Don't let him get to you like that", He leaned forward to look at her properly.

"Okay Rick. Can you let me out now?", She tilted her head at him.

He examined her face as unlocked the vehicle. They both got out and walked towards the front of the school building. Rick saw his friends waiting by the wall they usually met up at.

"See you in class", He told her as they went their separate ways.

She nodded and continued walking towards the doors.

"Aye Grimes!", Shane grinned at him as he walked over, "You sleep well last night?"

"Course I did", He smirked.

"Hey guys can we get a move on please? Not all of us can get away with turning up late", Glenn urged as he hopped off the wall.

Rick hated going to his classes. He always struggled to focus and was easily distracted. His teachers wanted to send him to get tested for ADHD when he was young, but his mother refused. She didn't think anything was wrong with him, and chalked It up to boys being boys. He would fidget about so much that Michonne refused to sit next to him in their classes together. He understood because she took her work very seriously.

He survived through most of his lessons up to lunch without ending up falling asleep, and he was proud of himself. He and Shane made it to lunch first and were joined by Daryl and Glenn after, all sitting at their usual table.

"Hey boys!"

Karen, Paula and Jessie appeared smiling with their trays as they joined them. Karen sat down beside him and ran her hands through his hair as she smiled at him. Rick smiled back, his eyes studying her.

"What are you doing later?", She leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"I don't know, what do you have in mind?"

"I say we catch up. It's been awhile don't you think?"

He smirked, his eyes dropping to her chest, "Really? I could have sworn I saw you a few days ago?"

She giggled and flicked her hair over her shoulder, "Well now you can see me again"

"Well I think I…", His eyes darted behind her as he noticed Michonne walk past with Maggie, both deep in conversation, "Hold on Karen, Cha-Cha!"

Her head turned, her eyes scanning around for him, then stopping when she saw him.

"Are you gonna sit with me today? I'm gonna need your help", He pouted at her, his eyes pleading.

"I'll think about it", She turned back to Maggie and continued walking.

He stared after her for a moment, then turned his attentions back to Karen, "Where was I?"

"Why do you call her that?", Karen questioned, her brow furrowing.

Rick looked over to where Michonne had sat with her friends, then back at her, "I would love to tell you that but why don't we talk about you and I instead?"

Once their lunch break was over, Rick and Glenn headed up to their next class together. It took a lot for him to calm his excited lower half after having Karen whisper in his ear throughout lunch.

When he reached the classroom, Michonne was already sat at the back, talking to her friend Sasha, who was at the table in front of hers. Rick grinned as he made his way over to her.

"Thank you"

"Yeah whatever, you don't even have a pen", She shook her head at him as he sat down, facing towards her and not the desk.

"We can make notes together", He pulled her closer to him by her stool.

"Rick!", She hissed as she grabbed his arm.

He tilted his head at her, his eyes flashing with amusement, "We can go over them later"

She winced at him with frustrating, "Then let me focus, okay?"

He smiled as he raised his hands in surrender.

"Alright class, good afternoon, we are going to finish up where we left off from so you're gonna have to take notes as I go through the slides"

Rick was already bored, though he was grateful when the teacher switched off the light. He laid his head down on his arms and watched Michonne as she wrote. He was trying his best not to bother her, which was difficult in itself as he loved bothering her. It had been that way since they were kids.

When the class was over he sat waiting for her to pack away her stuff before they walked out together.

"Later?"

She nodded as she and Sasha went in the opposite direction. He and Glenn headed to their next class, where he fell asleep again.

He wasn't surprised to see Karen waiting with Jessie for him outside the classroom. She had always been keen on him, though he wondered how she and Jessie's friendship worked as Jesse had shown interest a couple times too. He didn't really stop to think about it though, he just slipped his arm over Karen's shoulder and she continued where she left off from lunch.

When they reached the front of the building, they people gathered around, all looking around in anticipation again. Rick went straight over to Shane and Daryl to ask what was going on, but then he saw himself. Mike was there again, waiting with his friends.

"Again?", Rick asked as he took a cigarette from Daryl.

"He got expelled", He informed, "So did Gareth, but they both came back to finish it"

"And I appreciate them both for that", Shane grinned as he crouched on the wall.

Rick jumped up and sat beside him while Karen placed herself between his legs. He wished she wouldn't as he wanted to concentrate on what was about to unfold in front of him. His eyes darted across the sea of faces, looking for Michonne. His brow furrowed when he couldn't see her, but then saw her making her way through the crowds over to Mike. She was saying something to him, but he didn't appear to be listening. She shook her head and began to walk off when he grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her back. Rick sat up straighter as he watched. She pulled her arm from him and walked away.

Rick handed Shane his cigarette and gently pushed Karen out the way to jump down, "I'll be back in a minute"

He shoved his way through the crowd and walked towards the direction he saw Michonne go. She was walking down the street, so he sprinted to catch up with her.

"Hey!", He grabbed on to her arm when he was close enough.

She yanked her arm away from him, "Don't grab me! I'm sick of being grabbed!"

He tilted his head as stood directly in front of her, "Do you realise who your talking to?"

She was frowning, her eyes to the ground, "What do you want Rick?"

"What's the matter with you?", He could hear, what sounded like cheering as the two teens started their battle again, and a small part of him wished he was still there to watch, "Why did he grab you?"

She huffed and looked back towards the school, "Because he's an idiot"

He nodded, unsure of what to say to that, though he whole heartily agreed, "Come on, I'll drive you home"

"No it's okay, I'd rather walk. Clear my head a little"

He stared at her for a moment, before shaking his head, "I'll drop you home"

"Rick just go, I'll be over later okay?", She already began to walk away from him. He didn't want to have to grab her again so he let her go. He kept checking over his shoulder as he walked back to the school, until he couldn't see her anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

The fight had come to a halt, and students began to disperse as Rick approached the school grounds. He let out a disappointed sigh as he could see Gareth came away considerably worse. He wished he had at least gotten a glimpse.

"You missed it. It was beautiful", Shane looked truly happy.

"I'm sure Mike with give us another show soon", He huffed as her watched the other students disperse, "Come on, let's go"

"Hey I gotta go, I have a job interview, but pick me up later!", Glenn called as he walked off in the other direction.

Karen quickly attached herself to him and the rest of them left to head to his car. While he was still concerned with Michonne, it didn't stop him from enjoying himself with his friends or the girls. He had a familiar itch he had to scratch, so they went over to Daryl's house to collect a special delivery, before they could start their mischief.

"Alright, let's do it"

The three boys walked into the busy clothing store and casually walked around, each carrying a container with them discreetly in their hands. Rick grabbed a woman's blouse off the rail and pretended he was sizing it up as he looked for his friends. When he saw them in place, and they both gave him a nod, he put the blouse down and smiled.

"Behold, the eighth plague, the plague of locusts!"

With that, he, Shane and Daryl opened the containers and whipped the containers in the air, each releasing a small army of locusts to the store. Women screamed as the insects hoped around the store, landing in their hair and on their clothes. The boys snaked their way out if the store, along with other shoppers who were scared of the insects. Rick laughed wickedly as he ran back to his car, where Karen stood waiting for them, as she was afraid of the insects herself, so she chose not to take part.

"Let's get out of here"

Shane rubbed his head as he smiled and looked back at the store, "We need to do that at school or somethan'"

"Oh, we will, next time when Glenn's around", Rick smiled as he got in to his car.

He felt only slightly content with that prank but it was something small for now. He and his friends always preferred to do larger scale mischief when they were all in attendance.

After getting something to eat, Rick dropped the other two home and headed over to Karen's house, as the girl had been teasing him all day.

He had been there plenty of times before, it was a regular occurrence for the both of them.

"What's going on between us?"

Rick inwardly groaned. There was nothing that he dreaded more than having to answer that question, that's why he usually didn't sleep with the same girl frequently, but Karen seemed fine with their little arrangement, up until then of course.

"What do you mean?", He decided to play dumb as he stood to pull on his boxers.

"Are we going to make things official?", She sat up in the bed, her sheets falling to expose her breast.

"Is that what you want?", He stepped into his jeans and buttoned them, keeping his eyes everywhere else but her.

"Well yeah…"

He nodded and scooped up his t-shirt, "Well to be honest Karen-"

"Do you not like me?"

He quickly yanked his shirt over his head, hoping it wasn't obvious that he was trying to get dressed in record breaking time, "It's not that at all, I do like you, it's just I know I wouldn't make a good boyfriend"

She studied his every move, "Why?"

He sighed as he sat back down and pulled on his boots, "Do you really want a boyfriend that would probably never call you? One that would never take you out?"

Her eyes dropped to his boots.

"I'm that kind of guy, and I think I'll be that kind of guy for a while, and I like you too much to hurt you like that", He rested his hand on her leg as he looked at her.

She nodded, flashing him a quick smile, "I get it"

He smiled back before giving her a quick kiss on the lips, "I had fun tonight"

"So did I", Her smile grew.

After a sharing another kiss, he bid her goodnight and left her home. He was thankful that her parents both worked late so he didn't have to run into them on his way out. He breathed a sigh of relief once he was in his car. He realized he'd have to stay away from her for a while, as he really didn't want to hurt her, he didn't want to hurt any girl, he just wanted to have fun and have no questions asked.

He arrived home to a quiet house and headed straight upstairs after grabbing a sandwich from the kitchen. He sent Michonne a text and set up the ladder for her, then groaning when he realized he would have to shower again. He ate one half of his sandwich as the film started, then stripped off and headed to the bathroom.

When he returned to his bedroom he heard the familiar sound of Michonne's window opening and her ladder dropping. He pulled on a pair of sweatpants and ate the other half of his sandwich as he waited for her to appear.

"We need to build a bridge or something"

He took her hand and helped her in as she complained, trying to hide her modesty as she was wearing a t-shirt dress, "I thought we did it this way so we wouldn't get caught?"

She huffed and took the remaining piece of his sandwich from his hand.

He closed his window and watched her on the bed as she pulled off her gym shoes, "You clear your head then?"

"Yeah a little", She got under then the comforter, her eyes never leaving the TV on the wall, "Pulp fiction, good choice"

He took a sip of his water and switched off the lights, grabbing the remote for the TV to put it on his bedside table. He climbed in the bed with her and laid back, allowing her to snuggled up to him as they watched the movie together.

...

"Morning son"

"Hey"

Rick walked over to the fridge and grabbed the milk before heading over to grab a bowl. He made quick work of pouring the milk and putting it back in the fridge. He didn't like hanging around his mother for too long.

"You're getting your first instalment this week right?"

"Yep."

"I hope you plan to use it wisely…"

"Yep."

"Your grandfather didn't leave you that money to waste it…"

"Yep."

"...I was thinking, how about we all go out for dinner next weekend? We haven't done that in a while?"

He scowled at the bowl in front of him as he poured his cereal, his back to his mother, "I can't. I already made plans"

"..Oh.. okay, what are you doing?"

"Friend's birthday"

"Oh that's nice! What are you doing for it?"

Rick dropped a spoon in his bowl and began walking out the kitchen, "Nothing"

He went back up to his room where Michonne was still sleeping, making sure to lock the door as his mother was roaming around the house. Michonne could sleep until later as he father often left early in the morning and her mother would sleep until later herself. He climbed into bed and continued the film from where they left it the night before.

She groaned and rolled over to look at him, "Time?"

He picked up his phone and tapped the screen, "Ten"

She huffed and disappeared under the comforter. He waited for a few more minutes then, he pulled it back and he held out the half eaten bowl of cereal to her. Lazily got up and took it from him. He continued to watch the screen while she ate.

"I'm going to die as a lonely, old, cat lady"

Rick's face pinched in confusion as he looked at her, "What the hell Cha-Cha?"

"I am", She shrugged as she ate the cereal.

He scanned the side of her face, "Are you alone right now? Do I not exist? Am I a figment of your imagination?"

She bit her lips together as she tried to hold back a smile.

"What did I tell you about that?" He warned as he nudged her gently, "Don't hide that smile of yours from me"

She chuckled and shook her head as she put the empty bowl on the nightstand.

"Remember our deal?"

"Yes Rick, I do", She rested back on the headboard.

"Good", He put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her towards him and kissed her forehead, "Unless you changed-"

"No I haven't", She said dryly as she looked up at him.

His lips pursed as he studied her, "What's gonna happen when you go away to college?"

She sat up slightly, "You'll still see me Rick-"

"Yeah but this", He motioned his hand back and forth between the two of them, "I'll have to wait until you come home for the holidays-"

"You could come stay with me, I told you that you could Rick, we'll still see each other", She rested her head back on his shoulder.

"How am I meant to sleep? You don't stay over that much anymore, even my dad noticed"

She huffed, "I know, sorry, we'll figure something out"

He dropped his head back against the headboard, "Times running out"

She was silent for a moment, before she turned her head up towards him, "Have you thought about what you're doing after school?"

He looked down at her, his lips only a few inches from hers, "Might take my dad's offer for a job at his company"

She frowned, "You don't want that though"

He shrugged.

"You're gonna be a rock star", She smiled at him.

He smiled back, "Am I?"

"Yeah, you'll be smashing guitars on stage and stage diving in the crowd-"

"And you'll be patching me up"

"I'm always patching you up"

"That's why you're my Cha-Cha", He placed a small kiss on the tip of her nose.

The sound of a car pulling up nearby caused her to climb out of bed and look out his window. She sighed, grabbing her gym shoes as she sat back down on the bed. They both knew it was her father. She stood once her shoes on and went back to the window. He joined her, helping her climb out, then watching her go down. She hoped over the small fence and made her way up the ladder to her bedroom while he pulled up his own.

After having a shower and getting changed for the day he left his home and headed to his car. Michonne's father was stood outside talking to one of the neighbours. He looked over at Rick and waved, and Rick waved back, holding back on the scowl he usually reserved for the back of the man's head. He was polite to the man because of Michonne, but he also hated the man because of how difficult he made their friendship.

"Same for you right?"

The middle aged man with a thick beard confirmed as Rick took his shirt off and sat back in the chair. He was in preparation for his first tattoo, that he and his friends had all agreed to get, but he already had his second in mind.

"Yeah", He watched as the man placed the transfer paper on his shoulder, "I wanted to get somethan' else as well"

"Yeah? What's that"

"You know those heart rate monitor things? I want one of those lines… but I want it to spell out a name, right about here", He ran his finger across a small patch of skin on the side of his rib cage.

The man nodded, "Alright, let me just get this done, and I'll get that drawn up for you"

One slightly painful hour later and the teens were done branding themselves. Rick was very pleased with his new markings. He avoided all requests to see the second tattoo, as he wanted Michonne to see it first.

"So are you really not gonna show us the other one?"

Jessie followed Rick around the convenience store as they grabbed snacks for their afternoon, as Shane had thought it would be a good idea to meet with she and Paula. Though he quickly realized with Karen not there, she was free to make her advances. He didn't particularly mind, as Jessie was a pretty girl, and he had kissed her a few times in the past.

"Nope. Afraid I can't do that", He grabbed a bag of chips off the shelf and gave her a quick smile.

"I guess I'll have to find another way to see it then"

His eyebrows shot up at her comment, "Oh really?"

She giggled as she flicked her hair over her shoulder. She continued to flirt as they walked around the store, her intentions getting more and more clear. Though he wasn't particularly in the mood to sneak off and have his way with her, he appreciated the offer, and he knew there was a chance he would probably change his mind later.

The six of them spent the afternoon going from place to place around town, having a good time, though Rick was bored. He knew he was bored, even though he was laughing and joking around. He could tell Shane was too, as he could read Shane like a book. The two of them needed to do more than just ride around playing pranks on people, they wanted to create memories. The idea they came up with was really both their ideas, but they needed help doing it.

"Do it"

Rick watched Glenn squeeze through the small window above the staff's lounge. They heard him drop on the other side of the wall, as well as a large crash and a few smaller crashes.

"I'm okay"

The others ran around to the side door, and waited for their smaller friend to appear. After a few moments the door opened, and he stood there covered in what appeared to be coffee. They all snickered as the field in, heading straight for the front of the grocery store.

Rick pushed Jessie in a shopping cart down the aisle as Daryl stood atop the shelves, eating a twinkle while spraying whipped cream on anyone who passed him. Shane took to chasing the others around the store with string cheese.

"Juice fight!"

Glenn laughed as he emptied a bottle of lemonade on Paula, causing her to scream out. Rick grabbed a bottle himself and drenched Jessie in the shopping cart, causing her white top to stick to her pink bra. He winked at her when she looked at him in shock. She hopped out the cart and chased him with her own bottle that she grabbed from the fridge.

The two of them stood panting on the other side of the grocery store once they stopped panting. She stepped over to him, her eyes flashing with amusement as she reached up and pressed her lips against his. Pulled her closer to him, his hands gripping her waist as his tongue rediscovered her mouth.

"Hey!"

They broke apart when they heard the man's voice. The shutters were slowly coming up again. They ran down the back aisle of the store, with Glenn, Shane, Daryl and Paula coming from different directions. They all pushed through the back doors to the fire exit and ran down the alley way, laughing.

...

"So what does this mean? Are we dating now?"

Rick's eyes snapped shut as he pulled on his t-shirt. He felt as though that question was haunting him. Jessie sat up in her bed and watched him slip on his boots. After retrieving his car from the parking lot not far from the grocery store, he dropped his friends off at Shane's house, as he was the only other one who had a car, and he took Jessie home.

"Jessie, you don't want a boyfriend like me"

He said that line so much, he was beginning to dislike himself.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I would make a terrible boyfriend. I'm not cut-out for that-"

"When was the last time you were even in a relationship?"

He sighed, "I haven't even been in a relationship because I know what I'm like"

She frowned at the he side of his head, "Maybe you should try… you might surprise yourself…"

He nodded, "Yeah maybe… but right now isn't a good time, and I don't wanna hurt you"

She got up and wrapped her sheet about her, "I get it"

He walked around the bed to her, hoping to cushion the blow as he rubbed his hands down the side of her arms, "I had a lot of fun with you tonight"

She smiled, "So did I, we should do it again sometime"

"Yeah, we will", He winked at her.

She giggled and stepped into his arms, catching his lips with hers. He didn't mind, he rarely ever did when girls threw themselves at him. He never considered himself as an extremely attractive eighteen year old, but he knew there was something about him that girls liked because he never had a problem getting their attention.

For as long as he could remember girls would make it obvious that they liked him. When he was younger, he naturally didn't care, he just wanted to hang out with his friends and cause trouble. Not much had changed when he thought about it.

"I'm thinking about having a party next Saturday, my parents will be away all weekend, you guys should come" Her eyes scanned his face as he broke away.

He nodded slowly as he considered it, walking towards her bedroom door, "Sounds good. I'll see you Monday"

"Bye"


	3. Chapter 3

"So how's school going Michonne?"

Michonne smiled at the older woman from her church as she put the tray of drinks down on the coffee table, "It's going well thank you"

"Oh, that's good honey"

Michonne took a seat in the arm chair and tried her best to smile.

"Now I know your parents have very few worries when it comes to you dear, but you know we still think it's very important to sit down with the children and talk about issues that most teens face"

She wished for the ground to open up and swallow her. She hated the talks, she didn't need them. She was well behaved teenage girl, though she often snuck around with Rick, that was purely because her father was adamant that she didn't mix with boys. Her parents wouldn't understand that they were just friends, and even though they grew up together, they put a stop to how much time she could spend with him as soon as she turned twelve.

"The reason why you should wait to get into a relationship with a boy is because you don't want to give in to temptation too soon"

She could have smirked at that comment. While she wasn't as carefree as other she knew, she had had boyfriends, and had been with Mike for four months, and they never escalated past kissing. She wasn't in a rush to have sex, she'd never felt comfortable enough to experiment beyond kissing.

"And the reason you shouldn't fraternize with boys is because most teenage boys only have one thing on their mind"

Michonne nodded as if she was listening.

"You just need to concentrate on your studies. Then you can worry about men and starting a family later. Do you understand honey?"

Michonne nodded. She wanted to get out of the conversation but she knew it wasn't that easy. The women from her church could talk and talk for hours. She failed to understand why her parents thought it was necessary, as she never went out. She went to school and came back home, besides staying over at Rick's, she wasn't allowed to go out after school or on the weekends. If she did then she was with her parents.

After speaking with the women for most of the afternoon, she went upstairs to her bedroom. It was the only place in her home where she could actually relax. She didn't have the kind of relationship with her parents where they could sit around the dinner table and share stories with each other. They did almost everything in silence, whether it was eating a meal, going grocery shopping, or going on a trip somewhere, it was done in silence. Her parents preferred it that way, as her father used to tell her, children should be seen, not heard.

Once she received a text from Rick she packed her work away and got changed into her pyjamas. She always checked that her parents were in bed before leaving, and was grateful that they went to bed early. She took her rope ladder from her closet, and hung it from the window ledge. After switching off her light she made her way over to his.

He wasn't in his room when she got there but she still made herself comfortable, taking off her gym shoes and climbing into his bed. She put on a movie, and propped up a pillow.

He came back in the room with his hair wet and a pair of sweatpants on. He always had a shower before getting into bed with her after he'd slept with girl.

"We trashed the grocery store. That's why I showered"

Her eyes widened at him as he moved around his room, "Why?"

He shrugged.

"And you didn't end up having-"

"I would have still needed a shower even if I didn't have sex. I was covered in food"

"I'm pretty sure you're a sociopath Rick", She shook her head at him.

"Remember, we did the test, I only got seven out of the fifteen things they mentioned so I'm not", He grinned as he came over and stood by the bed.

"More than half means you're borderline-"

"Look" He ignored her as turned to show her his new inking.

She tilted her head to the side, squinting first then looking at it wide eyed, "You did not-"

"I did" He smiled as watched her reaction.

"Is it my-"

"It is."

"Rick! Why did you get my name tattooed on you?!"

"Because I wanted to", He shrugged again.

She dragged her hands over her face and looked at it again.

He cocked his head to the side as he looked down at her, "You don't like it Cha-Cha?"

She stared at it for a few more moments before sighing, "I like it. It's nice"

He grinned again, "I made sure you were first to see it"

"What am I going to do with you, Rick?"

He smirked, "There's quite a few girls out there that can tell you-"

She watched him climb over her to get into the bed, "Stop that"

He sat back, his head against the headboard and looked at her, "We get part of our inheritance this week"

She shook her head and looked straight ahead at the TV, "It's your money Rick-"

"It's yours too. Remember?"

She sighed, her eyes still forward.

"Michonne? Do you hear me?"

She pursed her lips as she nodded.

"Good… What's happening with Mike?"

She snorted, "He's an idiot"

"Well I know that", He gave her a crooked smile, "I'm waiting for you to figure that out and leave him. He's a hot head"

She whipped her head to the side to look at him, "And you're not?"

"Nope. I'm cold and calculating" He said it almost proudly, "Shane's the hot headed one"

"Oh yes, the other bad boy-"

"We're not bad boys, we just like to have fun.

"You and your friends are just prissy do-gooders-"

She snorted again, "Whatever"

"One of these nights I'm gonna take you out with me", He nudged her, then sat up, his eyes flashing as he caught an idea, "In fact, that's what you're doing for birthday"

"No, Rick-"

"Just one night-"

"Rick, I don't want to get in-"

"You think I'd get you into trouble? You know I won't let that happen"

She bit her lip as she thought about it. She'd always wondered what he would get up to or how he'd get himself in the situations that he did, but she was too scared to find out.

"Fine"

He grinned that devilish grin of his as he slipped his hand around her waist, "I'll show you a good time"

...

"You're back in school now?"

Michonne looked up at Mike as he leaned on the locker beside hers.

"Yeah", He gave a deflated nod, "So is that prick, Gareth-"

"Mike, Gareth didn't do anything, he was just asking about our biology project", She slammed her locker closed.

"Asking for your number?", He pushed away from the locker with a frown on his face.

"Oh my god", She groaned as she began to walk down the hallway, "You just don't get it"

"Whatever", Mike huffed as he walked beside her, "We got class anyway"

She continued to walk ahead, ignoring him. She was struggling with Mike's jealousy. He seemed to have a problem with any male she talked to, which annoyed her as she already suffered the same problem from her parents.

When they got to class she headed to the desks in the middle, as Rick and his friend Daryl were sat at the back. She wouldn't say anything to him when Mike was around because she didn't want the fuss, but Rick didn't always appreciate that.

She and Mike's sat down and she began taking out her books as she greeted Sasha, who was at the table in front of hers.

"What are you doing for your birthday?", Sasha asked as she rested her arms in their table.

"Nothing" She looked ahead at Sasha but gave her a quick wink. She didn't want to talk about it in front of Mike.

Sasha got the signal, "Oh okay… So, are we studying for lunch? I need help with my Spanish…"

Michonne nodded, "Yeah sure-"

"Can I borrow a pen please, Cha-Cha?"

She slowly turned around to Rick, who was smiling innocently at her, while Daryl snorted. She looked at him disbelievingly.

"Her name is Michonne" Mike scowled as he looked at him from over his shoulder.

Rick's smile faded as his head turned to Mike, his eyes growing cloudy as his lip curled.

"You want me to spell it out for you?", He questioned in an annoyed tone.

A smile broke from Rick's lips, as he leaned back and pulled the hem of his t-shirt up, "Yeah, in fact, tell me if I spelt it right-"

"No!", Michonne called as she held her hand out to Rick, "It's just his sense of humour! He calls me that as a joke okay? Right Rick?"

Rick's normal smile returned as he looked at her, then back to her boyfriend, "Sure"

Mike was squinting at Michonne as she sat back down.

"Okay class, sorry I'm late!"

Mike slowly turned around when the teacher walked in, after glaring at Rick. Michonne gave Rick a warning look as she did the same. She could have killed Rick in that moment. She failed to understand how someone could enjoy causing so much tension; his eyes lit up whenever he could see himself getting under someone's skin.

She planned to scold him about it later that day, while Mike planned to scold her about it at lunch.

"Why the hell does he call you that in the first place?"

She inwardly groaned, "It's just a pet name, he's called me it since we were kids-"

"Why was he trying to lift his shirt up?"

"He's was joking around! That's how he is! Just forget about it, you were in enough trouble as it is", She assured as she rubbed his arm, "Not everything needs to be a fight, Mike"

He stared at her for a few moments before nodding reluctantly, "I know"

"Good", She sighed as she looked around the cafeteria.

"I gotta go talk to coach, I'll see you after school, okay?"

She nodded as he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. She wondered how she was going to have a relationship as well as a complicated friendship with Rick.

"What was that about?"

Sasha appeared beside her, her eyes waiting for an explanation about the earlier incident between Rick and Mike. The two began walking to the library to study.

"Just Mike being Mike and Rick being… well Rick…" Michonne looked around the hallway quickly then leaned in to her friend, "Look… what are you doing this Saturday night?"

Sasha shook her head, "Nothing. I never do anything, you know that"

Michonne did know that, "Rick wants to take me out for my birthday, I want you to come with me"

Sasha's eyebrows shot up, "Take you were?"

She shrugged, "One of his little adventures I think… at night…"

Sasha stopped walking, "You're sneaking out to run around town with him? And you want me to get killed with you?"

"Look, I know how this sounds-"

"Yeah, crazy!" Sasha hissed at her as she stepped closer, "You know he gets up to all kinds of trouble, why the hell are you even thinking about it? And why are you trying to get me in trouble with you!"

"We won't!", Michonne grabbed her arm, "He won't let anything happen to me and that means nothing will happen to you because you're with me! Get it?"

Her friend stared at her in disbelief, "This is not a good idea-"

"It's not, but… we could have a good time? He always tells me these stories about what he does and I always wonder what it would be like to just… let go and have fun"

Sasha frowned at her, "Yeah, so why don't we go to the mall or something? We aren't like them, we don't do things like that so we will get caught! That's just how it happens in the movies!"

Michonne squinted at her, "We aren't in aren't in a movie though!"

Sasha looked around aimlessly for a moment, as if looking for more reasons to protest.

"I asked you because Maggie is too busy training, and Lori would faint if I even ask her-"

"So you thought I'm the one who could use a criminal record?", Sasha's eyes popped open at her.

"Sasha. We will not get in trouble, okay?"

She watched Michonne with concern for a few moments, then reluctantly nodded, "Fine, but we better be home before the sunrises!"

"We will. You can stay over, I'll talk to my parents tonight"

Sasha nodded again, "Alright. Fine"

Michonne smiled as she hugged her friend, praying that she wouldn't come to regret the choice.


	4. Chapter 4

"You know what we haven't done in a while?"

Rick turned his head to look at Shane as they sat on the wall outside of school, "What?"

"Ran through the girls locker room while they're changing"

A small smile grew on Daryl's face, "What's the point when y'all probably seen everythan' in there already?"

Rick couldn't help but chuckle at Daryl's joke as he wasn't completely wrong, "He's got a point"

"We need to bring that back", Shane grinned as he nudged Rick.

"Nah, Cha-Cha's still mad we did it when her friend Maggie was in there", Rick shook his head at the memory.

"The cheerleader right? She hit me with somethan'... I think it was a shoe?", Shane squinted as he too tried to recover the memory.

"It was a shoe alright", Daryl snickered, "You had a footprint on your forehead for about a week"

Shane sighed as he watched the other students leave the grounds, "The things we do for entertainment"

"Hey, are we getting fireworks for Jessie's party? That would be a crowd pleaser", Glenn looked at the other three excitedly.

Rick looked to Daryl, as the other teen could find a way to get almost anything, "What do you think?"

Daryl nodded, "Think that can be arranged"

Rick smiled as he scanned over the crowd, "Cha-Cha will love that"

"She's gonna be there?", Glenn asked, a surprised look on his face.

"She's coming out with us. Her and her friend"

Daryl perked up, "Which friend?"

Rick smirked, knowing exactly who Daryl wanted him to say, "I think her name's Sasha?"

"Alright then, looks like we're gonna have to show them a good time", Shane clapped his hands together and smiled.

Daryl tried to hide his excitement as he nodded

Rick chuckled. He knew Daryl had been harbouring a secret crush on Sasha all throughout high school, but never plucked up the courage to talk to her.

"Hey boys!"

Karen appeared, with Jessie and Paula in tow. Rick watched awkwardly as Karen walked over to him and Jessie stood back, unaware of what to do with herself.

"What are you up to tonight?", Karen planted herself right in front of him.

"We don't know yet", Rick took a little step back as he looked at her, trying to keep a friendly distance.

"Let's go get somethan' to eat, I'm starving", Daryl insisted as he walked past the two.

"Alright. Let's go"

Rick walked attempted to walk ahead, so he could separate himself from the situation but Karen was hot on his heels. At one point he wouldn't have cared about her determination, if anything it would have turned him on, but for that moment, it did nothing but cause tension. His carefree approach to girls was taking its toll.

After everyone piled themselves into his and Shane's cars, they drove into town to the local diner. Rick was grateful that Jessie got in Shane's vehicle, as it relieved the awkwardness for the moment. He was even more grateful when Daryl sat up front with him so Karen was in the back. He had made a promise to himself to put some distance between them and it was failing miserably.

"So I heard you all went and got tattoo's?"

Karen crossed her leg in the booth as she turned towards him.

"Yeah we did", He nodded, trying to act normal.

"We have to show the ladies now don't we?"

Rick could have groaned at Shane's overly forward attitude. The four of them all adjusted their shirts over their shoulder to show off the arrow. Though Paula and Jessie were there when they were done, they hadn't seen the finished product.

"Wow! I love them!", Karen complimented as she brushed her fingers over Rick's.

He fixed his shirt and gave her a small smile.

"Is that all you got?"

"I'm not gonna cover myself like Daryl if that's what you're wondering", His eyes slid over to his friend, who was shoving fries in his mouth.

"Yeah, yeah", He grunted.

Rick smirked at him as the others broke off into their own conversation.

"I'd love to see the others", Karen ran her foot up the back of his calf beneath the table.

"I've only got one more and-"

"And it's a secret one. He doesn't show it to anyone", Jessie sipped her milkshake from across the table as she interrupted their conversation.

Rick looked between the two girls. He couldn't understand why Jessie was hell bent on seeing it, and it only strengthened his belief that she was trying to take the cover off it when they slept together.

"Oh really?", Karen ran her hand up his thigh, "So we can't see it?"

Rick was too uncomfortable to even respond to her hand, "Afraid you can't"

"That's a shame", Karen pouted at him.

His eyes dropped to her mouth, memories of the things she could do with her lips flooded his mind and he quickly shook them away. His eyes were drawn to the doors of the diner, where Mike and his friends walked in. He appreciated the distraction.

Mike spotted him and scowled before taking a seat. Shane looked back at the other teen, then at Rick, and evil smile appearing on his face.

"What's his problem?", Paula asked as she looked over at the athletes table.

"He's the _jealous_ boyfriend type", Shane answered with a teasing smile as he sipped his drink.

"His girlfriend's that girl you know, right?", Jessie confirmed as she looked at Rick.

"Yeah…", Rick's eyes didn't leave the back of Mike's head.

"Is that why he's looking over here?"

Rick finally tore his eyes away from his opponent, "Yeah, he's insecure"

"Can't really blame-", Glenn's sentence was cut short by Daryl's elbow to his ribcage.

"Someone should probably tell him his girlfriend isn't your type", Karen chuckled, "She's a frigid little book worm, right?"

Rick's eyes slowly crept over to her, an eyebrow raised questioningly.

Karen's smile was replaced with a blank expression as her eyes landed on the other males at the table, who all were tight lipped as they looked at her. She shifted uncomfortably and faced towards the table, "Sorry"

Rick rolled his eyes back to Mike, who was looking at him from over his shoulder. He gave him a taunting smile, which caused Mike to slam his hand on the table and get up. Rick sat back in the booth, wearing the same smile as he walked over to him.

"You think you're funny Grimes?" Mike rested his hands on the table as he glared at Rick.

Rick gave a small shrug, "Yeah, I think I'm hilarious actually"

"Well I don't seem to be laughing right now, do I?", Mike's three friends appeared behind him, "You need to watch yourself and stay away from my girlfriend"

Rick smirked, "Now that's funny"

"You think I'm playing with you?" Mike growled.

"Oh I know you're serious," He tilted his head as he continued to smile, "You and that vein in your forehead are very serious"

"Why don't we take this outside?"

"Who? Me and you, or me and that vein-"

Rick barely got the word out his mouth when Mike's fist connected with his jaw.

"Let's get 'em!", Shane jumped up out the booth, having already found his target.

Rick recovered and followed suit, with Daryl climbing over the table to take on another friend. Glenn reluctantly joined in.

Rick landed a punch on Mike's nose after lunging for him, knocking him back on to the bar and stools. People were crying out in shock and moving out the way as the brawl ensued. Plates smashed and glasses knocked over as the boys wrestled with each other. Rick wasn't aware of the damage they were doing, he just knew he had to come out of his fight with Mike better off, which was proving difficult as the other teen was swift with his movements.

"I'm calling the police!"

It was almost as if the waitress's threat was a code word that deactivated them all, as the boys quickly broke free from each other and ran out the two exits of the establishment. Rick hoped in his car with Glenn and a shocked Jessie, speeding out the parking lot with Shane hot on his tail. He couldn't help but smile as he drove.

…

"What happened to you?"

Rick sighed as he sat down on his bed as Michonne walked over and studied his face, a shocked look on her own.

"Got into a fight with your boyfriend", He winced as she ran her finger over his jaw.

"What?", She pulled her hand away, looking at him disbelievingly.

"Yeah…", He rubbed the back of his neck, "He came over to us at the diner, was telling me to stay away from you… and may I add that he threw the first punch-"

"Oh my god", She groaned as she sat down beside him, smoothing her hair away from her face.

"It's not that bad… we probably left the dinner in a mess though…"

"I can't deal with him anymore", She shook her head as she breathed out her words.

He rested his hand on her knee, "I'm glad I've helped you see the light-"

She knocked his hand away, "Oh, please! You loved winding him up probably just as much as you wanted to fight him"

He smirked, "I was looking forward to fighting him... but he's better than I thought, that first punch hurt like hell"

Michonne tried to keep a straight face as she glared at him.

"It did! I thought I was gonna be spitting out teeth when I got home"

She bit her lips together to hold her smile.

"Hey, what did I tell you about that", He nudged her, "I need to see my favourite girl's smile"

She smiled, and he could have sworn the pain from his early activity eased for the moment.

"Go get some ice", She instructed as she took off her shoes.

"Yes Cha-Cha", He huffed as he stood up and headed out the room.

He winced again as he walked down the stairs, gently touching the bruise on his jaw. He touched the other side of his face and felt the swelling was going down on his cheek. He was glad it was nothing more serious.

He returned to his bedroom, where Michonne was in his bed, under the covers waiting for him. He locked the door and switched off the light.

"What are we watching tonight, Rocky?"

He scowled at her, "Hilarious"

She giggled as he got in the bed, "That's your new pet name"

"No it's not-"

"Yes it is", She took the cloth with the ice pack in it from him, "You call me Cha-Cha so I can call you-"

"Why do I call you that though?" He laid his head on her lap.

"Because you don't let go of the past"

"No… because you were too shy to say breasts when we were kids, so you used to call them Cha-Cha's" He chuckled at the memory, "Remember when you got your first bra? And you came running over to me saying ' _Look at my Cha-Cha's!_ '...Ow!"

She smirked as she placed the ice pack on his face a bit harder than necessary, "Sorry"

"My point was", He narrowed his eyes at her, "If you're gonna name me somethan' then at least let it be from a happy time"

"Fine, I'll think about it"

"Good… let's watch Kill Bill", He sighed as he selected the movie on the screen.

"Good choice"

They were sat watching the movie when there was a knock on the door, causing them both to jump. They looked at each other questioningly, as neither of his parents ever knocked on his door, and neither ever came to talk to him late that night. He climbed off the bed and waited until Michonne hid in the closet before he opened the door.

His mother's eyes popped open, "What happened to you?"

"Nothan', just rough housing" He dismissed, being sure to keep his arm on the door knob, blocking her view of most of his room, "I'm going to bed, what's wrong?"

She frowned at him, then shook her head as if she was trying to remember what she was saying, "Uh, yes, we was thinking of having a barbecue… next weekend, you can invite your friends… just somethan' nice for us to do you know?"

Rick's eyes darted behind her, then back at her, "Okay, sure"

"Alright, good… I'll go get you some ice-"

"I got some already… night"

"Oh okay... night son"

Rick shut the door and breathed a sigh of relief. He locked it again and went over to open the closet door, where Michonne was sat beneath his rail of clothes. He smiled at her and she giggled.

"Well, there's a first time for everything" She shrugged as he helped her get up.

"That was weird", A confused expression covered his face, "I didn't even think she knew where my room was"

"Oh stop"

"Fine"

…

"I heard about the fight in the diner yesterday afternoon, would you care to explain what happened?"

Rick shrugged as he looked at Mrs Niedermeyer, "I didn't do anythan'. I was sitting there with my friends, minding my own business, then Mike came over and punched me. Everything else after that was self-defence"

The principle stared at him as if she was waiting for more, "Why did he punch you?"

"He's insecure"

Mrs Niedermeyer narrowed her eyes, "This is something to do with his girlfriend isn't it?"

Rick slowly nodded.

"God, that boy", She rubbed her temples, and closed her eyes, then they snapped open again, "Don't you go getting involved with her either! I've heard she's a great student, one of the best actually, I don't need you tainting her"

Rick's jaw dropped open in offence, "She's my best friend"

The principle frowned, "What? Since when?"

"Since we were six years old", Rick looked at the woman like she was grossly mistaken.

She stared at him incredulously, "My worst student and one of my best students are best friends? What the heck is she doing hanging around with you?"

Rick's jaw dropped again, "Your worst student? And what do you mean by-"

"Your story checks out, so you can go back to class", She waved a dismissive hand at him, "Go on, get out"

Rick stood, still highly offended by her comments. While he always knew he was a pain, he never thought he was the worst. He thought Daryl was worse than him and Shane was the worst out of the three of them. He also didn't care for her reaction to his admission that he and Michonne were best friends. He decided he was more offended by the latter.

He walked back to his class incredibly slowly, hoping to return when he only had a little time to endure left. It was a nice leisurely stroll, one that gave him time to ponder life and all the choices he had made up to that point. He realised he regretted nothing.

The bell rang just as he reached the hallway where his classroom was, and he was thankful. The students piled out the hallway and Rick saw Shane appear. Michonne walked out the classroom shortly after, talking with Maggie. He was about to call after her when Karen approached her. He realised then that he did indeed have regrets.

"I see you didn't get in trouble-", Shane snickered as he walked up to him.

"Come on", Rick ordered as he shoved students out the way to get to Michonne.

Shane followed his line of sight and saw what he was heading towards, then barged his way through the others also. As they came close to the two, Shane slipped his arm over Karen's shoulder and Rick picked Michonne up by her waist and continued walking.

"Rick what the-", Michonne tried to wrestle out of his grip.

"What did she say to you?", He asked as he looked back over his shoulder at Karen, who was stood talking to Shane.

"Not much-"

"What though?"

"She just introduced herself, said she was a friend of yours, told me how she met you then asked how we knew each other. Why? What's wrong?"

Rick groaned as he looked over her shoulder, "Don't talk to her again"

"Why?"

"I've messed around with her a couple times, she's been trying to worm her way back to me again, I don't want her to use you to do it"

Michonne tried to wrestle away from him again, "What the heck Rick-"

He held her a little tightly, "I know, and don't worry I'll talk to her. I didn't think she'd try to get information from you"

"I don't want to be involved-"

"You won't be alright? If she tries to talk to you again then just say Rick said I'm not allowed to talk to you"

"Because I'm a kid right?", She furrowed her brow at him as she looked over her shoulder.

"No you're just too…", He struggled to find the words, "You're just not used to girls like that, and I don't want them around you"

"You think I can't defend myself-", She attempted to pull herself away from him again but he held her.

"I'm not saying that", He insisted as they reached her locker, "I'm saying girls like her are manipulative, drama hungry wolves, and you're like one of those cute little baby lambs with the long eyelashes, and a pink bow around its neck"

She reluctantly chuckled at his description as he put her down, "Really Rick? A lamb?"

"Yes", He smiled, "Just promise me you won't entertain her again alright?"

She stared at him for a few moments before nodding, "Promise"

"Good", He released a sigh of relief, before leaning on the locker beside hers, "Hey I'm gonna talk to my parents tonight"

She kept her eyes on her locker as she opened it, "Really?…"

"Yeah… how do you feel about that?", He probed, stepping closer to her.

"Fine… honestly, I'm ready"

"Are you sure?"

"I am… it's just a lot to think about...", She explained with pleading eyes.

He nodded slowly as he absorbed her words.

"It will happen though Rick"

He gazed around the hallway for a moment before looking back at her, "Alright"

She closed her locker, "Go find your friends, I'm gonna go study with Lori"

He groaned and rolled his eyes, "God, don't you get sick of reading books"

"If I don't learn then how will you?" She grinned as she nudged him.

"Good point", He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her head, "Later Cha-Cha"

"Later", She called as they went in different directions.

Rick looked back to check on her as she walked away, then turned back and almost jumped as he saw Jessie stood there watching him. He gave her a small, crooked smile.

"Hey", She gave him one back.

"Hey… You alright?", He steps slowed as he got closer to her.

"Yeah", She nodded, "You going to the cafeteria?"

"Yeah I am", He motioned with his hand towards the double doors at the end of the hall.

"Oh okay, I'll walk with you"

He nodded and they walked together down the hall. He wondered if she saw he and Michonne together moments before, not because he was ashamed but purely because he didn't want to have to keep tabs on both Karen and Jessie.

"So…yesterday was crazy", She turned her head towards him.

"It was…"

"Did you get in trouble?"

"Nah, I didn't start it so… Mike's gonna take that one", He smirked as they walked in the cafeteria.

"Oh good… So what are you doing later?"

He looked at her questioningly, "Uh...I gotta go pick a few things up..."

"Oh okay...well if you're free later, call me or something… bye", She gave him a little wave as she walked away.

"See ya".


	5. Chapter 5

"Sasha! It's great that you're spending the weekend with us?"

Michonne's mother smiled at her friend as she closed the front door.

"Yes Mam", Sasha smiled, adjusting her backpack on her shoulder.

"That is lovely, now I'm sure Michonne has already filled you in on how we do things here, but we decided to be a little lenient, as this is the first time in a long time that Michonne's had someone over to stay, so lights out at ten, okay?"

Michonne inwardly groaned at her mother's rules, but smiled and nodded.

"That's fine, Mrs Brown", Sasha nodded also.

"Great! Well I just need to have a quick talk with Michonne, okay? Her bedroom is the first door on the left"

Sasha nodded and headed upstairs while her mother waited for the coast to clear to speak.

"You'll be meeting Heath tomorrow evening so be sure to get plenty of rest. His parents want to set a date so we're thinking June. You'll be all done with school then"

Michonne's heart thumped hard in her chest, as her mother turned and began to walk away, "College?"

Her mother stopped and slowly spun around to look at her, eyes wide, "I beg your pardon?"

Michonne shook her head and kept her gaze low.

"Good. Don't lose yourself because your friend's here, you speak when you're asked to"

Her mother continued to walk away and Michonne quickly went upstairs and breathed a sigh of relief as once she closed the door. Her parent's plans for her were already underway, which meant she'd have to act sooner rather than later.

"You did not tell me we would be going to a party!", Sasha whispered through gritted teeth.

"I just found out!", She mimicked her, "Rick told me last night"

"So what the hell are we going to wear? A party dress and a ski mask?"

Michonne frowned as she thought, "Something casual that we can wear to a party after…"

Sasha slumped down on her bed and sighed.

"Jean's… a nice top… and…"

"Sneakers?"

"Boots!", Michonne walked over to her wardrobe and began fishing around, "This black off the shoulder top, black jeans, and ankle boots, pair it off with a leather jacket"

"Okay, that's you, what about me?"

Michonne continued to rummage, "… this halter neck, with… these jeans, and these boots. Done"

Sasha eyed the items in her hands, then nodded as she looked away, "Alright. Straighten my hair first, I'll do yours after"

"Alright", Michonne threw the clothes on the bed and looked for her straighteners.

"What the hell!", Sasha hissed as she jumped on the bed.

"Shhh!", Michonne hushed as stepped over and picked up the kitten that had been hiding under the bed.

"Where did that come from?", Sasha looked at the little black kitten and then up at her like she was crazy.

"Rick got her for me", Michonne smiled as she held her, stroking the back of her head.

"He couldn't get you something less… animal?"

"He got me this necklace too", Michonne leaned forward and showered her the silver hummingbird pendant on a chain.

Sasha's eyebrows shot up, "Aww, that's cute… but why the kitten?"

"I always wanted one", She shrugged.

"Yeah but your parents would freak"

"She's gonna stay with me for now… until we figure something out", She put the kitten back on the floor and watched her explore her room.

Sasha watched too but less impressed, "What did you call her?"

Michonne smiled, "Rocky"

Her face fell in to an unimpressed stare, "What? You know what don't tell me, it's probably one you twos little inside jokes that I won't understand. Let's get started on my hair"

Michonne did as she was told and began straightening her friend's hair. She smiled as she did as she thought of her gifts from Rick for her birthday. She was as excited as she was anxious about spending the night with him. She figured Sasha was more anxious but she hoped that would change once they were out. They spent the evening discreetly preening themselves.

She was sat on her bed eating chips with Sasha when her phone rang, and to her dismay, it was Mike.

"Hey, how are you?", She tried to sound normal, while Sasha rolled her eyes. "I didn't see you in school today?"

"Yeah I got sent home because of what happened with that friend of yours", Mike sounded annoyed.

"Yeah I heard… hopefully they'll let you back on Monday or something…"

"Yeah, yeah… happy birthday by the way… I was gonna come see you but I know your parents wouldn't like that so…"

"Thanks, don't worry about it…" Michonne watched as Sasha pointed at her watch, "I'm in the middle of studying so I'll speak to you tomorrow alright?"

"Yeah that's fine, alright… Uh.. I love you, bye"

Michonne's eyes popped open, "Love you too, bye"

"Excuse me?", Sasha leaned forward to look to her.

"Oh god, he just said I love you, and I said it back!", Michonne covered her mouth in shock, being sure not to be too loud as he parents had gone to bed not that long ago.

"Why did you say it back?", Sasha hissed.

"Because I'm social abomination! I didn't know what to say!", She dragged her hands over her face, "I don't love him. I don't even like him right now. Oh god, why did I say that?"

"You need to fix that… I don't know how though"

"Thank you Sasha" Michonne said dryly as she stood up from the floor, "Just great"

"Well… we should probably get dressed, it's coming up to ten, what time will Rick get us?"

"Ten, so get dressed"

Just as she said that, her phone vibrated as she received a text from him. They quickly got dressed and Michonne began her routine of checking her parents were asleep, then switching off the lights and opening the window. She retrieved the ladder and hung it from the window ledge.

"Oh great, you know I was bad in gym"

Sasha sighed as she climbed out the window. Michonne left out a small bowl of water and food for Rocky and waited for Sasha to reach the bottom of the ladder before she climbed down.

"Is that him?"

Michonne looked towards where Sasha pointed and saw Rick's car waiting in the street, with another car behind it. She nodded and they quickly made their way over to the first vehicle.

Michonne climbed in the front seat with Rick while Sasha sat in the back with Glenn, and they all exchanged quick greetings and introductions.

"You excited Cha-Cha?", Rick grinned as he began to drive.

"Where are we going?", She studied the side of his face.

"Your favourite place"

She frowned at him, then looked back at Sasha who was doing the same, "My favourite place?"

"You heard me"

She sat back and thought hard, trying to wonder what he meant. She hadn't been out anywhere with him before so it wasn't as if she could just think back to their travels, and she'd always said she'd love to visit everywhere so she couldn't imagine what he meant.

Until she realised the route they were taking.

She looked over at him with narrowed eyes as he turned in to the familiar street.

"School? School is my favourite place?" She tilted her head at him.

He smiled as he pulled up, "Glenn?"

Glenn leaned forward and searched around in a backpack between his legs, then held out to cans and flashlights to the girls, "Your weapons"

Michonne took them and frowned, "Silly string and a flash light?"

"Let's go" He opened the door and got out.

She huffed and they remaining three followed suit. The all walked towards the side of the building, following Daryl's lead until they reached a class window. He reached inside and fussed around with it until it opened wider. He snuck in and opened another window, so they effectively had two entrances.

Michonne gingerly climbed in, with Shane offering her a hand down. She contemplated what her life bad come to when she stood waiting in the class. She also wondered why Rick never used his creative ideas for something over than criminal activity.

"Alright, the birthday girl gets a head start, but be warned, some of the classroom doors are locked so you can't really hide", Rick explained as he watched her with a smile, "Sasha, you get to go on the fifth count"

"What?"

"Ten… nine...eight… seven" Daryl counted with a wicked grin.

She panicked and ran out the room, with Sasha not far behind her, switching on the flashlights as they did as the school was almost dark, with just the moon's glow lighting the way.

"Ready or not here we come!"

Michonne didn't know why she was scared, but she was, "Split up!"

"No! Don't you dare leave me!", Sasha panted as they ran up a flight of stairs.

"We have to-"

"No!"

They ran along the first floor blindly, neither had any idea where they were trying to go but Michonne learnt that fear could cloud your judgement. The sound of the boy's footsteps fuelled her panic, as they reached the end of the hall and were faced with two doors.

"We're gonna have to go back that way-"

"No! They're coming this way!", Sasha hissed as she kept her flashlight facing down the hall.

"We can't just stand here-"

"Well look what we have here"

Michonne never knew a time where Rick's voice sounded more sinister. Rick appeared with Daryl, slowly walking towards them. Michonne questioned where the other two were but she wasn't going to stand and ponder.

"Sasha, I love you, I really do", Michonne whispered quietly to her friend.

"Michonne, you better not-"

Before she could say anything else, Michonne switched off her flashlight and threw her friend towards Daryl, then ran around the other side of the two as they tumbled to the floor.

"Traitor!"

Michonne was running as fast as she could down the hall and she knew Rick was hot on her heels, but she was running on adrenaline in the dark through the school. Just as she turned the corner she Shane jumped out, almost spraying her as she ran past them.

"Jesus, is she on the track team?"

She couldn't even tell where she was in the school anymore, she just ran, so she took the chance and put on her flashlight and saw she was coming up to the stairs. She slowed down.

"Alright! I surrender", She called as she panted, turning around to face Rick.

"You're like a damn gazelle", Rick chuckled as he approached her, "I almost feel bad for-"

Before he could say anything she sprayed him with the silly string, covering his head and shoulders. She was almost gonna make a run for it but he caught her by her middle and lifted her off the ground.

"Oh, you play dirty don't you Cha-Cha?"

"Put me down-"

"I hate to do this to you, but you're gonna get it now. Guys! I got her!"

By the time the others were done emptying their cans on her, you couldn't even tell that she was wearing an all-black outfit. Rick only put her down once everyone had their turn.

"You threw me", Sasha said in disbelief.

"I did and I'm sorry-"

"You literally threw me to the wolves-"

"I know, I did and I'm sorry. We're even right?"

Sasha huffed as she nodded, and Michonne hugged her.

Shane put his flashlight to his watch, "We need to get a move on people"

"Alright let's go", Rick instructed as he peeled the string off him.

Everyone did the same before heading back down to their self-made exits. Michonne couldn't believe how much fun she had just running around in the dark with some silly string. She was almost giddy with happiness.

"Next stop, gas station", Shane called as they reached the classroom.

"Yeah I need some smokes. And a drink or two" Daryl huffed as he walked ahead.

Michonne's eyes widened slightly as she wondered what kind of drink she meant. She'd never had alcohol, it wasn't something that her parents ever allowed and swore against. She looked at Sasha who also wore the same expression. She knew she felt the same way.

"How was Rocky?"

She smiled as she looked over at Rick, "She's great. I love her"

She did. She wasn't expecting to wake up that morning to the feline beside her in Rick's bed, but she fell in love almost instantly. She wondered if Rick had gotten it for her because he knew she'd be able to have one soon, whether her parents liked it or not.

When they arrived at the gas station, Rick got out to fill up his tank and Shane did the same, while the Daryl headed into the store.

"Are you going to tell you-know-who about you-know-who? And what you said to you-know-who?"

She looked back at Sasha and cringed, knowing exactly what she was talking about, "I don't want to. He won't be happy if he finds out…"

"I get it…", Sasha nodded and looked ahead.

"He was already annoyed that I didn't break up with him yesterday", She sighed as she watched Rick and Shane walk in the store.

"Yeah… that Daryl guy keeps looking at me…"

Michonne giggled and turned back to her, "He likes you"

Sasha's eyes popped open, "What? Did he say that?"

"No, it's just...", She shrugged, "Like you said he can't seem to take his eyes off you"

"...That's.. cute, I guess?"

"Yeah I guess it is- Oh god, that's a lot of alcohol? How can they even buy all that? How?"

"Probably have fake ID's… who's party is it by the way?"

"I don't know, I'll ask", As soon as Rick got back in the car she fired the questions, "How?"

He smiled, "Don't worry about that"

"Who's party is this?"

He pulled out the parking lot, "Jessie. She goes to our school"

She studied the side of his face for moment before turning to look out the windshield. A large part of her hoped this girl wasn't one of his conquests, as she preferred to remain clueless about who had been with, though it was getting harder and harder to.

Glenn was the only one in their car to drink as they drove to the party. Sasha sat watching him like he was crazy while Michonne just kept her head facing forward. When they arrived at the house, it was quite obvious who's home they were going to as there were teens stood out front talking and laughing.

Michonne all of a sudden felt nervous, as she had never been to a party like that before. She sat staring at the house for a moment, as everyone began to get out the car. She took a deep breath and did the same, slowly getting out and closing the door behind her. Rick walked around the car and joined her, his hand on her lower back.

"Alright?"

She nodded and flashed him a quick smile. They all made their way over to the house, and Michonne quickly recognised a lot of the people there from school, which made her relax a tiny fraction. Inside there were teens dancing and drinking, with one room with the lights off, and Michonne was sure she could see people fumbling around with each other. She felt Sasha's hand grip hers.

"Kitchen!", Daryl called out from behind them.

Rick nodded and left the way. Michonne questioned how he seemed to know where he was going but said nothing for nothing.

The kitchen area was quieter than the other rooms but still quite busy. Rick jumped up on a space on the counter, and Glenn joined him. Michonne stood beside him, still trying to gather herself, and Sasha joined her. While Daryl and Shane stood in front of the other four.

"Looks pretty good?", Shane nodded as he looked around, before his eyes stopped on Sasha.

"Yeah it's alright", Glenn agreed as took a sip of his beer.

"Drinks for you girls?", Daryl asked Sasha and Michonne.

Michonne looked at Sasha, who looked at her like she was waiting for an answer. She looked back and Daryl and nodded.

He handed them two beers and she gave one to Sasha, who wore an anxious expression on her face.

"What are you doing? You haven't drank before", Rick slowly turned her around to face him, then he looked at Sasha "And I highly doubt you have either"

Michonne shrugged, "First time for everything"

He shook his head and took her beer, "Fine, then share one for now, if you can handle that then you get another"

Michonne looked at him shocked, feeling like a scolded child, while Sasha took a sip of the beer and grimaced, holding the can out the her.

She took her sip herself and tried to hide her displeasure, but her body rejected the beverage. Rick shook his head again as he handed Shane the beer he took from Michonne and took the beer she held to drink himself.

Daryl began talking to Sasha, while Rick pulled Michonne to stand between his legs, as they spoke to Shane and Glenn. Michonne was actually relaxing and enjoying talking to his friends. She could see why they were his friends; they were similar to him, excitable and impulsive, but still very funny characters.

"Oh hey boys!"

They all turned and saw a girl Michonne recognised as Jessie. She looked as though she had been drinking as she swayed slightly.

"Hey Jessie…", Rick was taking in her appearance too.

"You guys have a drink? Do you have a drink Hun? Here", Jessie held out a red solo cup to Michonne.

Before Michonne could decide if she wanted to take it or not, Rick took it from Jessie and handed it to Glenn.

"Party's going well", Rick commented casually.

"Yeah it is right!", Jessie smiled and almost stumbled forward, "You guys should come dance or something"

"We're good for now, maybe in a little while though"

"Oh okay" She smiled.

"Jessie there you- Oh hey boys!"

Karen appeared, in a dangerously low dress, her eyes darting all over the scene in front of her.

Michonne felt Rick leaned forward as he looked that the other girl.

"You guys having a good time?", She asked as she walked over to them.

"Yeah", They all answered.

She gave Michonne a little wave before heading over with Jessie to the counter that was covered with alcoholic beverages.

Michonne turned to say something to Sasha when she saw her holding hands and walking out the room with Daryl.

"Where is he taking her?", She looked up at Rick confused.

Rick's brow furrowed as he saw them disappear, he shook his head slowly, "I don't know but she'll be fine-"

"She's just met him Rick-"

He held her arm, "She'll be fine with him. He'll look after her, I promise you"

She looked back towards the door, still feeling uneasy but she nodded anyway, assuming Rick knew his friend well enough to say that.

"You can relax"

She looked back up at him, "Is Jessie another girl you've messed around with?"

He sat back a little, his eyes looking up somewhere else, before falling back down on her, and he gave a little nod.

She sighed and rolled her eyes as she attempted to step away from him, but he still held her arm.

"You're not wandering off here-"

"Rick you know I don't like-"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry for not telling you okay? But to me it's just a party, I didn't think anythan' of it"

She huffed as she tried to pull away from him again but his grip was always strong.

"Hey, stop, you're not leaving my sight, so you can stand here and be mad at me for a little while"

She turned away from him, but still did as she was told. She felt like they were children again. He would always get so overly protective when they were playing, telling what she could and couldn't do and where she could and couldn't go. She felt they had reverted right back to that.

She held out her hand to Shane, just as he was pouring something clear in a cup.

He looked at her and raised his eyebrows, his eyes darting back to Rick. He gave a small nod and she wondered what Rick had done, as Shane pour half the contents of the cup into another and handed to her. She figured it out and was annoyed but still took it.

The first thing she realized, was that it smelt like some kind of paint stripper. The second thing she noticed was it looked as deadly as it smelt. Once she plucked up the courage she took a sip, and instantly regretted it, but she wasn't going to show Rick that, so she held her breath and drained the cup in one gulp. The warm sensation from the first sip turned into a burn.

The drink made her feel sick but she just leaned back on the counter and focused on not throwing up.

"You feel like a grown up now?"

She ignored Rick's voice in her ear, as Jessie and Karen appeared in front of them.

"Hey Michonne, we're gonna go freshen up, want to come?", Karen smiled.

Michonne opened her mouth to reply but Rick was quicker, "I'm sure the two of you can look after each other?"

Karen looked up at him and pouted, "Oh but you're keeping her all to yourself"

Michonne turned to Rick, who looked down with an expression that she could read fairly easily.

"I guess I am", He raised his eyebrows as he took a sip of his bear.

"Hey boys! And girl!"

A red haired girl appeared just as Karen pulled a stumbling Jessie away.

"Hey Paula"

She stepped over and put herself in front of Michonne, resting her hands in either side of the counter, "I've never talked to you before"

Michonne shook her head, "Nope"

"You pretty little thing, you", She giggled and tilted her head to the side, "You have really nice lips…"

"Okay Paula, let's get you some fresh air alright?", Shane instructed as he took hold of her arm and guided her away.

"If you ever want to know what it feels like to kiss a…", Paula called out as she left the kitchen.

Michonne turned back to Rick, confused as she looked up at him.

"Paula gets a little too friendly when she's drunk", He squinted as he looked in the direction she just left.

"Was she really going to-"

"You don't wanna know what she was really going to do. Trust me on that"

She looked back towards the kitchen entrance with a frown. A part of her was curious, but the other part was content with not knowing.

"Wait here, I need to go to the bathroom"

Rick frowned, "Nah, I'll take you"

"Rick, it's the bathroom. It's upstairs right?"

His frown didn't break.

"Rick you know I'll just go and come back. That's it"

He clenched his jaw as he looked towards the kitchen entrance, then back to her, "Michonne-"

"I promise", She quickly escaped his grasp and headed towards the stairs. She had to snake her way through quite a few people before she could even reach the stairs, and then she had to snake her way up the steps which were covered in people.

She reached the landing and almost did a little celebratory dance. She looked around as she tried to figure out where the bathroom was. She tried the first door, which was a small bedroom, then moved along to the next, which looked like her parents' bedroom. She groaned. She made it to the third door and finally did a little celebratory dance, as it was the bathroom.

After relieving herself and checking herself over, she opened the door and jumped when she saw Jessie stood there. She was tempted to close the door.

"Hey!", She smiled as she leaned on the door frame for support, "Almost didn't recognize you without Rick tied to your hip!"

Michonne raised her eyebrows at the comment.

"I'm kidding!", She raised her hands in surrender, "I'm just a little bitter as you can tell… did he tell you about us?"

Michonne was more focused on trying to sidestep the drunken girl, "Uh no, he didn't… maybe you should-"

"You know it wasn't even that long ago that we fucked just down that hall? In my bedroom? I asked him…", She lost her balance and clung to the frame as she leaned in to Michonne, "I asked him, what we were and… he told me- he told me he never had a girlfriend before… is that true?"

Michonne squeezed past her and into the hallway, "Yeah something like that"

Jessie nodded as she attempted to stand up straighter, but failed, "I realized something.. I did… he can't have a girlfriend with you around…"

Michonne head jerked back as she frowned at her, "Wha-"

"With you around!", Jessie stood swaying, speaking louder as if she couldn't hear her, "With you around he can't have one, because your like his girlfriend, and-and the only way he can have a girlfriend is you… just fuck off… it's selfish what you're doing you know"

Michonne continued to frown as she watched the girl uneasily.

"It's selfish… and he's fighting with your boyfriend… it's something to do with you isn't it? His tattoo?" She stared at Michonne with hooded eyes, "I know it is… I do… I just wanted to see it, because I want to be in on the secret… but just fuck off okay? Just fuck off… let him have a chance… let us have a chance…"

Michonne didn't know what to say to the other girl so choose to keep it simple, "You're drunk Jessie. Maybe you should lay down"

She didn't see it as necessary to argue her and Rick's friendship to her. Especially not in her drunk state and she certainly wasn't going to take the girls words to heart. Though it annoyed her how it seemed to come back to her, instead of Rick. He was the one with the morals of a tomcat but she was somehow getting the backlash for it for being his friend and it didn't make any sense to her.

"I was going to come looking for you"

Michonne raised her eyebrows at Rick as she approached him in the kitchen, "I'm right here"

She wasn't going to tell him and shout Jessie, not right then anyway as she didn't want to dampen the mood, since besides that little conversation, she was enjoying herself and no one could stop that.


	6. Chapter 6

Rick's eyes fell on Daryl and Sasha as they walked back in the Kitchen. He suppressed a smile and acted as if he wasn't spying on them, turning his attention to a drunk Glenn and Michonne.

"What is it?", She asked him as she sniffed the contents of his cup.

"I don't know", Glenn shrugged as he swayed.

She took a tiny sip and recoiled, "Yeah, I don't know either"

Rick chuckled at the exchange, as Sasha and Daryl joined them.

"Hey do you want to dance?", Sasha smiled at Michonne.

She nodded excitedly before looking at Rick. He inwardly groaned as he got off the counter. She and Sasha led the way to the living room, which had been turned into a dance floor. He Daryl and Glenn found a space on a wall to lean against as Michonne and Sasha wormed their way to the middle of the crowd. He smiled as he watched her sing along in an exaggerated manner with Sasha. He loved watching her enjoy herself with her friend, until his eyes dropped to her waist as it swung from side to side. He didn't know how long he was staring for, but when he caught himself he looked away and kept his gaze elsewhere.

After watching them dance for a couple of songs, Rick pushed off the wall and looked at his friends. They gave him a nod, knowing what he was ready to do. Michonne came over to him with Sasha, slightly giddy from their moves.

"Come on", He took her hand and the five of them left the living room. When he reached the busy hall, he called out to the dark room, "Shane!?"

He listened for a minute then saw his friend step out the darkness with red lipstick smeared on his face. Rick shook his head and headed towards the front door. The fresh air felt almost euphoric on his skin in comparison to the stuffy crowded house.

"What are you doing?"

He smirked as he took the fireworks from the trunk, "What's it look like?"

"Where did you even get those?", She frowned at him.

He distributed them out between Shane, Daryl and Glenn, before closing the trunk and heading back to the house. He gave the smaller ones to Michonne to hold while he searched for his lighter.

"We're gonna light this place up"

Rick took a smaller one from Michonne and lit it in his hand, causing her eyes to widen at his recklessness. He threw it up high in the air, and it went off beautifully.

Daryl began lighting the fireworks and throwing them up in the air, just as Rick and Shane took two of the big ones, and handed Daryl the third, as they didn't trust and snacks drunk Glenn. They walked over to the grassy area of the front lawn and put them down, lighting all three at the same time and quickly moved away, with Rick shielding Michonne as he moved further back.

They shot high into the air in a range of colours, then exploded with such a force the cars all shook and alarms went off and all the other attendants at the party gasped as the stumbled back, losing their footing.

"Yes!", Shane grinned as he looked around.

"Did you like that Cha-Cha?", Rick turned towards her smiling.

Her eyes were wide as she gave a very slow nod.

"Good", He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead.

"Shit! Look!"

Rick turned back to face the front yard to see two trees, one in Jessie's front yard and another in her neighbours had caught fire. He grimaced.

"Uh… Rick?", Michonne questioned as she watched.

"Yeah… it's time for us to go"

He looked to his other friends and they didn't need to be told anything as they began walking too. Neighbours were coming out their homes and sirens could be heard in the distance, and it all encouraged Rick to walk faster.

As soon as Michonne and Glenn got in his car, he and Shane simultaneously did a U-turn in the street and drove away, passing oncoming police cars.

"So now you're officially one of us, you get to share a joint with me" Glenn grinned as he pretended to take one out his pocket.

Her mouth dropped open.

Rick couldn't contain himself and neither could Glenn as they laughed at her reaction.

"Not funny!", She huffed as she shook her head.

"Sorry Cha-Cha… but It was-"

Rick stopped talking as they approached her house and he saw her parents stood outside, along with two others that he assumed were Sasha's parents, all looking at the rope ladder from her window.

He looked over at Michonne, whose face was a picture of panic. He took her hand and squeezed it gently as he pulled into his driveway. He looked in the rear view mirror to see Shane had stopped in the street.

"Hey, look at me, Michonne look at the me"

She slowly tore her eyes from her house and looked at him.

"Do you want to do this now?"

Her brow furrowed as she focused on his eyes.

"If you want, we can, if not then we don't have to"

She looked back over at her home, then shook her head, "No, I am"

Rick genuinely didn't have a clue how he was going to approach the situation but he just knew he needed to keep calm. He climbed out the car and put on a stoic expression, as he figured out the best way to approach this. He watched Michonne get out and walk around the car as Sasha came up to join her. Glenn got out of Rick's car and made his way over to Shane's. Rick looked to Shane and gave him a nod, and his friend slowly drove away.

"What on god's green earth is going on? We go to check on you girls after we hear what sounded like a bomb and we find this?"

Michonne's father crossed his arms as they walked over to them. Rick couldn't tell what he was feeling as he took in the angry sets of eyes.

"We-" Sasha began.

"I made us go out", Michonne took over, looking at Sasha's parents, "It was my idea, I wanted to do something for my birthday and I talked her into it. I'm sorry"

Her father's face darkened, "Excuse me?"

She shifted from foot to foot, "It's all my fault"

Rick looked down at the side of her face, for a moment, then shook his head as he smirked.

The adults all looked at him like he had two heads.

"You can't really believe that can you? You think either of them came up with the idea to sneak out?", He tilted his head as he looked at Sasha's parents, "I talked them into it. It's something' I specialise in"

"Why on earth-"? Sasha's mother began.

"Because I thought it would be a good idea. They don't ever do any wrong, they keep their heads in their books, so I thought I'd show them a little fun. I'm sorry, but she wasn't in any harm at any time", He fought the urge to shrug, as he was already digging himself in a rather large ditch.

"Sasha, go get your things now, we are leaving", Sasha's father instructed, his eyes still angrily looking Rick up and down. Sasha gave the other teen's one last glance before going in the house.

"After all these years we've known you, you take our daughter out and you put her in this position-", Michonne's father's eyes narrowed at him.

"What position? You already treat her like she's a burden-"

"Excuse me?!", Her mother questioned.

"Let me tell you something, you don't have the faintest idea about our home life, and I will not stand here and discuss it with you, boy. You will stay away from my daughter from this point on", Her father growled through clenched teeth. "Michonne, get in the house now!"

Rick sighed and shook his head, "You can't keep her away from me again"

Her father looked at him incredulously as he tilted his head, "What did you say?"

Rick looked over at Michonne and studied her face, her eyes were glistening as if she was on the verge of tears and he felt awful for her, "You ready?"

Her chest was rising and falling quickly. She still had stray pieces of silly string in her hair as she looked at her parents. Her mother was staring at her with a pensive expression while her father's eyes bulged. She looked back at Rick and nodded.

He turned back at her parents, who both winced as they tried to understand what was happening. Rick breathed the words with ease, "She's not living with you anymore"

Both sets of parents stood stunned for a moment, no one daring to blink, before they caught themselves.

"What?!"

"Excuse me?!"

"What the hell are you talking about?", Her mother stepped forward, her eyes darting between the two of them.

"She's eighteen. She's legally classed as an adult. If she doesn't want to live with you anymore then she doesn't have to. It's all her choice now.", He tilted his head at second time as he explained himself.

His mother was frozen. Sasha's parents grabbed their daughter as she appeared at the front door and began to walk away. Rick imagined they didn't want her to get any more ideas from him.

"Do not be ridiculous! She's still in school, she has no job, she has no money-"

"My money's her money", Rick asserted.

"Do you have a job? You can support her?!", Her mother was livid as he looked at him.

"I can", Rick felt great satisfaction as he looked at them, "And I will"

Both of them stared at him with a mixture of confusion and anger. Her father's mouth hung while her mother continued to look back and forth at them.

"Michonne, you are not going anywhere with this boy", Her mother recovered quickly and set her sights on her daughter, "You will not disrespect us this way, and you will not think that this behaviour is acceptable! I want you to get in this house now! I don't care how old you are, you stay in this house!"

Rick didn't want to force her hand, but he didn't want her to feel like she had to, "What do you want Michonne?"

She stared at her parents for a moment, before slowly shaking her head, "I don't want to live with you anymore"

"Michonne, do you realise the depth of what you're doing? Do you?! You just... you just...", Her mother stepped in front of her, frantically searching for words, "You do not want this!"

"No Joanne", Her father held his wife's arm and pulled her back towards him, his eyes now stern, "Michonne, you are old enough to make this decision, but If you walk out of this house, you're not stepping foot back in it. You leave with him then you stay with him. You hear me? You run off with that boy and you're no daughter of mine"

"Fredrick, no! What are you doing?!", Her mother pulled away from him.

Michonne's began to frown as she looked at him, and Rick could see that small defiant streak that he had only ever seen a handful of times come to life, "Fine. I want my cat and my school work. That's it"

"Fine. Go ahead and get them", Her father gave her a nod and motioned towards the door.

"Fredrick, no!"

Michonne quickly made her way inside the house, with her mother running in after her. Her father put both hands on his waist as he watched Rick.

"You think you're a man now? You think pressuring my daughter to run off with you makes you a man?"

"I never said such a thing", Rick rubbed the back of his neck as he shook his head.

"She would have married a man worth ten of you and she would have been the perfect wife, she would have been the ideal for our church-"

"She doesn't want any of that. Never did"

His eyes darkened as he huffed, shifting his stance a harsh he puffed out his chest, "I always knew you were trouble. I knew you'd grow up to be nothing but a menace-"

"I'll be the first to admit I'm a pain in the ass"

The man scoffed, "That's putting it lightly! You've done nothing but poison our daughter, tarnished her pure mind-"

"Do you honestly think she wants to move out because of me? Even if I was sitting there whispering all kinds of stuff in her ear, if she was happy here she wouldn't leave-"

"You really are a manipulative little punk, aren't you? You're blaming us?"

Rick looked at her father with pure disbelief, "You really don't see what the problem is do you?"

"It's you! You have damaged her! She was going to be worth something and you've ruined her! Now she's worth-"

"What?-"

"Nothing." Her father looked at Rick with cold eyes, "You're the reason she's fallen"

He shook his head as he relented, choosing to wait for her at the bottom of the drive as her father's words enraged him. He had always disliked the man, and now he was sure he hated him.

Michonne came down with her backpack on and Rocky in her hands, her mother was a mess behind her. She walked past her father with her head down, making no attempt to look at him.

They quietly went over to his house and headed straight upstairs to his bedroom. He had to admit that it felt strange walking through his house with her, but he felt a great sense of relief none the less.

She walked into his room and stood in the centre, cuddling Rocky to her chest as she kept her gaze low. He knew it wasn't going to be easy to do, as he learnt a long time ago that despite everything, she had always hoped to have a better relationship with her parents one day.

He planted himself in front of her before he reached out and held her in his arms, careful not to squash the kitten. She sobbed quietly into his t-shirt.

"It's okay", He hushed, rubbing his hand slowly up and down her back, "We'll sort everythan' out alright? It won't be like this forever. I promise"

She nodded against his chest as she sniffed, "I know…"

He leaned back to look at her, "Come on, let's get some rest"

….

"Morning son"

"Hey"

Rick slumped into the kitchen as his mother sat eating breakfast.

"You hear that commotion last night?"

"Yep", He dragged a hand over his face as he grabbed a bowl, "Michonne's parents and me"

His mother's eyes popped open as she dropped her spoon in her bowl, "Is she here now?"

"Yep."

"Oh god, son", She sighed, "I thought we planned to sit down and go over this properly! You only told us yesterday! What happened?"

He groaned as he poured the milk, "They weren't happy when we got back from a party. It just went downhill from there"

"Great!", His mother dragged her hand through her short dark hair, "Alright… I'll go talk to them first… smooth things over then we'll all talk together… how was she?"

Rick gave a small shrug, "She was pretty upset but… that's expected"

His mother sighed again, "When she's dressed for the day I'd like to talk to her. Me and your father"

Rick dropped a spoon in his cereal and nodded as he walked out the kitchen, "Alright"

Rick huffed as he walked back up the stairs. He was still so tired and he didn't know how managed to wake up so early.

Michonne was lying in bed awake, with Rocky laid in front of her, when he entered his room. She watched him hooded eyes make his way around the bed.

"Here, you eat first"

"I'm not hungry"

He watched her back for the moment before sitting back against the headboard. He instantly lost his appetite at the sight of her. He put the bowl down on the nightstand and looked at her.

"Talk to me"

"I'm fine Rick, I just want to lay down"

"Can you at least face me?"

She didn't say anything, but slowly rolled over with Rocky and laid facing him, though she didn't look at him. He scooted down in the bed so he could see her, laying down only a few inches away from her.

"I'm sorry it happened that way"

She sighed, "It would have turned out that way, regardless"

He studied her face as she looked at him, "I'm glad it finally happened though, I can't deny that"

Her face lit up a fraction, "Me too. It feels strange though, laying here and not worrying about rushing home"

"It is… but It's exciting. I can call you whenever you want, I can take you out wherever and whenever you want, we can start our lives together now"

She smiled at him and he felt a familiar swelling in his chest, "I'm not going to be running around town with you at all hours of the night, Rick"

"Fine", He pouted, brushing a strand of hair from her face with his index finger, "My parents want to talk to you later"

She raised her eyebrows for a moment, then nodded, "Okay"

"They just want to see how you are. You know they don't really care what goes on around here, as long as I don't break anythan'", He smirked, his hand lazily stroking the top of Ricky's head as she slept, "They said we can stay here as long as we want… we don't have to move out yet… How'd you feel about that?"

"We can wait for now, I don't want you to use all your money-"

"Our money", he corrected sternly.

She huffed, "Fine I don't want to use all our money on finding a place just yet, let's put money aside so we can still have savings when we do move out...but I need to thank them though… and I need to get a job so I can help out"

"Don't worry about that right now-"

"Rick. I want to, I can now so I will", She insisted.

He sighed, not wanting to argue with her after everything that happened, "What about college?... you won't need to go away now right? If you get your license you can drive up there"

She stared at him as she thought, "Well that's true"

"Think about it..."

She nodded in agreement, then frowned down at the kitten, "...I need to get my clothes…"

"Is that all you want from there?", He shifted so he was resting on his forearms as he looked down at her.

"Yeah… that's what I need anyway"

He nodded slowly as he gazed around his room, figuring out how she'd be able to talk to her parents to get her things. He then realised how why his mother wanted to sit down and talk with them, it would have been handled better that way. Though he would never admit that to her.

Rick ate cereal first, then gave it to Michonne while he went to shower. Truth be told he was unsure of how the conversation with his parents would go, as his mother seemed to want to be more involved in what was happening, which made him question how it could go. He knew the only reason she agreed to Michonne living with them was because she didn't want him to move out either, and that was something Rick was banking on to make their plan work.

His father wasn't opposed for obvious reasons, but still came across as surprised at the request.

His mind travelled to Sasha and her parents, and he hoped she didn't get into too much trouble herself. He made a mental note to check with her in school the next day.

"So Michonne, Rick has given us a… brief insight into what was happening at your home, but we'd like to hear from you what made you two decide that this needed to happen"

Rick's mother clasps her hands together as she sat beside his father at the dinner table.

"Well… I just don't have a relationship with my parents…" She looked to the table as she spoke, then back up at them.

His mother nodded slowly, "Is there any particular reason why?"

She gave a one sided shrug, "They're very religious, very traditional… very strict…"

"You didn't think this was something you could have talked to them about?"

Her eyes widened as she shook her head, "They don't believe in that"

His mother frowned, "Believe in what?"

"Back talk"

"...It wouldn't be back talk if you sat down and talked to them about how you feel?"

"It would be in their eyes"

His mother stared at her for a moment, then looked at his father, who was as usual, quietly observing, "Okay… well, I plan to talk to your parents later on, just so we can smooth things over, hopefully you all can sit down and talk one day too"

Michonne nodded in agreement.

"You're going to need your clothes, and whatever else you need… especially for school tomorrow… we'll sort out the guestroom for you so you'll have your own space..."

"Thank you. I appreciate this so much"

"You're more than welcome. We're happy to help you out", Both his parents smiled at her warmly.

Rick felt happy about how the quick discussion went, though he was still apprehensive about what would happen with her parents, specifically her father, as her mother seemed quite upset about everything.

He was also grateful for how his mother was handling things, to the point where he almost felt bad for hiding his sleepovers from her, though he did do it out of fear that she would tell her parents. That was another thing however, he wouldn't admit to her.


	7. Chapter 7

"So I received a phone call from your parents this morning, informing me that you're no longer living with them?"

Michonne's eyes widened slightly as she looked at the principle. She shouldn't have been surprised that her parents would call in, as it was more than likely her father's idea.

"Yeah, I moved out this weekend"

"And you're now living with… Grimes", She virtually growled out Rick's name.

Michonne nodded.

"...Were things alright at home? I spoke to your father this morning and... well…", Mrs Niedermeyer sighed, "Is there anything you'd like to talk about? Anything you'd like help with? This won't interfere with your plans for college will it?"

"Oh no. I'm still going to college... Rick and his parents have been helping me with everything too so it's fine"

The Principle nodded as she looked her over, then sighed, "Okay well, I'm here if you need help with anything, and I'm sure if you explain to your teachers what happened, they'll give you time to catch up with the work-"

"Oh no, I'm pretty ahead already"

Her eyebrows shot up, "Really? Oh good then. Well I'm very pleased to hear that, and remember my door is always open. To you only, not Grimes"

Michonne smiled and nodded.

She headed to her class after her brief meeting with the principal. She was initially very nervous about being called to her office in the first place, and wondered how Rick was so comfortable about being called constantly.

She had never had a problem focusing on class before but that day it was a problem for her. She kept wondering about Mike, and how she'd talk to him when she saw him. She didn't want to hurt him, but she couldn't be in a relationship with him either.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry", Michonne apologised as soon as she sat down beside her friend at lunch.

"It's okay", Sasha smiled at her.

Michonne gave a small frown, "Did you get in trouble?"

"Not really", Sasha giggled, "I think they were too shocked about what happened with you and Rick so...they don't want me running off too"

Michonne's eyes widened.

Sasha cringed, placing her hand on Michonne's, "Sorry… what happened after we left?"

"...I left, my parents' house I mean. I live with Rick and his parents"

Sasha's stared at her, her eyes ever so slightly moving all over her face, "...And they let you?"

Michonne gave a small shrug, "Yeah, there was only a small tug of war for me… what happened with you and Daryl?"

Sasha gave a shy smile, "We just went outside to talk somewhere quiet… I kissed him"

Her eyes widened, "Awww-"

"It was a bit sloppy because he was a little drunk" Sasha admitted quickly, "And he tasted like beer… but I like him. He's really sweet... and really funny"

Michonne grinned at her, "Aww! I'm so happy for you"

"Hey girlies", Maggie and Lori joined them at the table with their lunch trays.

"I was just telling Maggie about my trip to abstinence camp this summer", Lori sighed as she picked up her fork.

"Abstinence camp?", Sasha frowned.

"It's like regular camp… but with a whole lot of talk about restraining from… well you know"

Michonne looked at the other two quickly before speaking, "Well… that should be fun? You might make some friends…"

"Yeah…", Sasha gave a very unconvincing smile and nod.

"So!" Maggie distracted, "I heard there was a crazy party over the weekend, bombs going off and everythan'..."

Sasha and Michonne looked at each other before Sasha spoke, "We went to it"

Lori dropped her fork, "What?"

"No way!", Maggie's eyes darted back and forth between the two.

"Yes way"

"Tell us everythan', don't leave out a thing!"

"Okay so I went over to-"

"Ladies"

The four looked up from their discussion to see Rick taking a seat beside Michonne, facing away from the table, with a sly grin his face.

"Sorry to interrupt.. Did you get home alright, Sasha?", He squinted as he leaned back to look at her.

"Oh yeah, don't worry, I didn't get into too much trouble", She gave a one sided shrug.

"Oh good. I just need to have a quick word with Cha-Cha here"

"Sure, Go ahead", Maggie and Sasha chimed, while Lori stared at Rick.

"Thanks", He turned his attention to Michonne, "I heard you went to the principal's office?"

She nodded as she put her bottle of water down, "I did. My dad called her and told her I don't live with them anymore"

He furrowed his brow at her, "Really?"

"Yeah… He probably said some other stuff but… whatever"

Rick sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "You wanna go get somethan' to eat after school?"

She frowned at him, "It's Monday Rick, I'm not running around with you and your friends-"

"Just you and me"

She raised her eyebrows at him, "Your friends would be devastated without you"

He smirked shook his head, "They'll manage. We'll go eat then go home, alright?"

A small smile tugged on her lips, "Okay"

"Good. Let me go break the news to the guys", He kissed her on the head as he stood and gave the others a small wave.

Michonne turned back to her friends who were looking at her wide eyed, she frowned, "What?"

They looked between each other awkwardly before returning to their meals.

"What?!"

…...

"So how was your first night out with us?"

Michonne looked at Glenn and Shane and they walked out of class, "I had a lot of fun"

"That means your gonna come along for another night right?", Shane grinned.

Her eyebrows shot up, "Uh… sure, I guess I could now.."

"Maybe you can invite your other friends too…", Glenn suggested

"He means the cheerleader", Shane said dryly as he looked ahead.

"Maggie?", Michonne nudged Glenn gently.

"That's the one", Shane confirmed and Glenn gave a nervous chuckle.

"Sure, I'll ask her"

Glenn nodded, while keeping his head down to hide a blush.

They all walked out the building, and Michonne joined the other two at their usual place at the wall. She understood why they preferred to hang around there, as they could see everyone leaving and going, it was almost like a front row seats to the school.

"How you feel about blowing stuff up?," Shane asked rather seriously, with Glenn looking at her with an equally serious expression.

She stared at the two of them, "I guess I can see the appeal, it's loud and exciting-"

"See I told you she would like it!", Glenn nudged Shane, and he raised his hands in surrender.

She questioned what she had signed herself up for.

"Michonne?"

She turned at the sound of the familiar voice and almost sighed. Mike stood a few feet away from her, his eyes glaring at Shane and Glenn before softening when he looked at her.

"Hey" She refused to smile as she was still planning to break up with him.

"Can we talk somewhere?"

She nodded, before looking back at Shane and Glenn, "I'm just over there"

The both gave her a single nod as they continued to stare down Mike. She walked over to the bike rails and leaned against one with her arms crossed.

"You were suspended again?"

"Just for today… So you hang around with them now?" Mike stood up straight and also crossed his arms over his chest.

"I have done" She gave a small nod.

"After what he and his friends did?"

"You went over to him. You hit him first"

"He knew what he was doing. He wanted to come between the two of us"

She knew he was right, "Rick just likes to joke around-"

"Yeah so you say, but I'm not stupid Michonne, I've seen how you two act-"

"We're close-"

"Yeah, so you say, but he's become more of a problem for us and you just make excuses for him-"

"They're not excuses. I know him, I know his intentions. Yes, he can wind people up but you're the one that couldn't control himself and hit him"

He pursed his lips as he breathed through his nose, eyes scanning around behind her, "Alright. I was wrong for that"

Michonne's eyebrows rose as she wasn't expecting to hear him take responsibility for what he did, "Yeah… you were"

They both stood there for a few seconds, Mike gazing at her while she kept her eyes on the space beside him.

"Look I don't want him to come between us anymore, and I meant it when I said I love you Michonne. I need to work on my temper but I will for you", He stepped closer to her with a pleading look in his eyes.

She was frozen in place. She was not expecting the conversation to take a turn in that direction at all, but she couldn't continue with him, "Mike, I don't think we can do this anymore"

His face fell, "Why not?"

She sighed as she tried to find the right words, "I have a lot on my plate right now and-"

"Because of your parents?", He rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Well yeah, they're part of the-"

"Michonne, why won't you just let me talk to them? You know I can-"

"There's no point, it won't change anything-"

He frowned at her, "You haven't even given me the chance to-"

"Mike, it doesn't matter anymore-"

"Maybe if they need me and see that I'm not a bad-"

"I moved out", She blurted out, annoyed that he wasn't giving her an opportunity to speak.

His eyebrows shot up, "What? Really?"

She sighed as she nodded slowly, "Yeah"

His eyes darted all over her face as he tried to read her, "Well that's a good thing right? Who are you staying with now?"

She wished for the earth to part and swallow her up, "Well its-"

"Cha-Cha we gotta go home, I need to change"

Rick was stood a few feet away from them, his hair and torso wet and his t-shirt hung from his hand, drenched.

Mike looked from Rick to Michonne, his eyes almost bulging, "Him? That's who you're staying with?"

She wanted to groan, but instead gave a weak reply, "Yeah"

Mike took a step back as he almost glared at her, before turning his attention to Rick, who stood looking back and forth at the two.

"You really didn't-" The beginning of Mike's rant came to abrupt halt as his eyes fell on the inking on Rick's ribcage when he looked him up and down. He tilted his head a fraction and squinted, then popped open. His head whipped back to face her, desperate for an explanation.

"That's why he…", Mike's face pinched as realisation set in, "And you hid it?"

Michonne opened her mouth to protest, but chose to digress, instead she gave him a very sombre nod.

Rick gave a small shrug as Mike looked back at him, "I would have shown you, if you asked nicely"

All Michonne did was blink, and within that small window of time Mike was already on Rick, tackling to the floor. Her mouth dropped as he punched Rick right on the jaw, in the same area as last time.

"Mike get off him!", She cried out as she quickly made her way over and grabbed his arm before he could land another punch, giving Rick the opportunity to shove the other teen off of him.

A crowd of students began to form as they both stood. Rick rolled his shoulders as he paced, ready to take him on again. Mike pulled off his jacket and threw it to the ground before he made another lunge for Rick, but Rick was quicker, hitting him hard on the side of his nose as soon as he was close enough. Mike only lost his balance for a second, before swinging for Rick.

"Come on Rick! Don't let him mess up that pretty face of yours!", Shane ordered from the front of the crowd, watching the fight like referee.

Michonne felt powerless as she stood to the side, her eyes wide and her jaw hanging. She wanted to run between them to stop it but they both wore such intense glares that she didn't feel it would be wise.

"Hey! Break it up! Now!"

Three teachers appeared from the sea of faces and took hold of the teens. They both looked equally horrible as they panted, eyes still locked on each other. Michonne could already see Mike's eye beginning to swell, while a small cut bled on Rick's lip. Shane through his hands up in the air and sighed while Daryl gave Rick a hard pat on the back as he approached him.

"Both of you, inside now!"

…..

"Morning Michonne"

"Morning Mr Grimes"

"What did I tell you about that?"

She smiled at the older man as she walked further into the kitchen, "Morning Frank"

"That's better" He gave her a nod as he turned the page of his new paper, "Mr Grimes makes me sound old"

"Cause you are old" Rick grumbled as he walked in the kitchen rubbing his face, mindful of his new bruise.

Frank narrowed his eyes at Rick, "Yeah yeah, you just wait until all those late night catch up to you. You're gonna look as pretty me"

Michonne laughed at the duo and Rick smiled at her. She liked watching them interact as it wasn't something she was used to at her parents' house. She watched Rick get them breakfast before they sat down with his father and ate with him.

"What the hell happened to you?", His father asked as he took in his son's face.

Rick shrugged, "Nothing. Just rough housing"

His father stared at him for a few moments before shaking his head and continuing his breakfast. Michonne's eyes traced the bruise and the small cut on his lip as he ate. While she was glad he wasn't in trouble for the fight he and Mike had, she was still slightly annoyed with him for being as careless as he was when he interrupted she and Mike's break up.

"Why do you two eat out the same bowl?"

Michonne looked at Frank, then Rick.

Rick smirked, "You really wanna know?"

"I asked didn't I?", His father looked between the two of them.

Rick glanced over at her before explaining, "When she first started staying over here, we used one bowl or one plate so you wouldn't think somethan was up…"

His father raised his eyebrows, "Well, that was smart. But why now?"

The two shrugged before Rick answered, "Less washing up to do"

Frank frowned, "Well isn't that nice of you considering I've never seen you wash a damn tea spoon in this house?"

Rick groaned and continued eating.

"We can wash up before school", Michonne nudged him. He raised his eyebrows at her, "We have time"

Frank stared at his son.

Rick snapped his eyes shut as he reluctantly agreed, "Yeah. We can"

"Oh well, thank you! So nice of you both", Frank beamed at the teens, "I can get used to this"

After washing up with a grumpy Rick, the two got dressed and left for school. Michonne was getting used to life with he and his parents, she enjoyed the relaxed household, and why she wasn't as talkative with his parents, she liked being able to speak freely and not be scolded for it.

"Daryl found an old cabin near his house"

She turned to look at the side of Rick's face as he drove, "Really?"

"Yeah, we wanna go check it out, see what we can do with it"

"You mean throw parties and take girls back there", She added dryly.

He glanced over at her, "What girls? I haven't seen anyone since-"

"Jessie? Not that long ago?"

He scrunched up his face in confusion.

She raised her eyebrows at him as they reached a red light, "She told me, at the party"

"What?", He snorted after glancing at her again

"She told me to fuck off, so she could have a chance"

He frowned at her, "Are you being serious? Why didn't you-"

"Not really important is it? She was drunk and I just didn't pay her any mind", She reassured as she tilted her head at him.

He began driving again, "I really don't want to have to worry about her either"

"Well that's what happens when you like to run around poking everything"

He frowned disbelievingly as he looked out the windshield before he burst into a chuckle, "Really? 'Poking everythan'?"

She giggled, "Yep"

He shook his head at her, "Well I think I'm done 'poking everythan' now"

She examined his hand on the steering wheel as she spoke, "When did you even start all that?"

He bit his lip as he thought about the question, not answering straight away, "I can't remember"

She frowned as she sensed he was lying to her, "Yeah you can, when?"

He shrugged and shifted in his seat, "I don't know, a while ago"

"Why aren't you telling me?", She tilted her head again to look at him.

He sighed as he pulled into the school parking lot, "I just don't really remember it too much-"

"Yes you do! I know you do because I know you, and you're doing all the things you do when you lie to me"

He groaned as he parked the car, "Drop it"

Her eyes didn't move from him, "Why aren't you telling me?"

He sighed as he turned the key in the ignition and sat back, looking her dead in the eye, "Why? What do you want me to tell you?"

"I want you to tell me why you're acting like this? We tell each other everything and I've always known about your… escapades, so why is it a problem for me to ask that?"

He stared at her for a few seconds before he looked away and smirked, "When did you have your first boyfriend?"

Her head jerked back as she questioned the turn of the conversation, "Uh.. just before my seventeenth birthday? I think? Why?"

He threw his hands in the air as if she had solved the riddle, "Well that's when"

She raised her eyebrows at him, "Why was that so hard to admit? That's all you had to say Rick!"

He eyed her for a moment before nodding and opening the door, "Let's go".

She got out of the car feeling strange, not completely sure why. She didn't understand why he took so long to answer her question and why he answered the way he did, but she chose to let that topic rest as she walked beside him.

"I think gonna apply for a job at the Grocery store"

He looked down at her, "Really?"

"Yeah.. hopefully I can start when school's out"

He nodded, his eyes scanning the students walking into the school, "Alright then… hey you feel like doing somethan' later?"

"No-"

"Nothing bad. Just hanging out with us", He informed as they stopped by the steps.

She eyed him, "We need to study-"

"And we will…", His eyes darted around her as he thought of something, "How about this, tonight you come out with us, tomorrow and Thursday we'll study, Friday and Saturday you're mine, and Sunday we'll lay in bed all day"

She frowned, going over the schedule in her head, "Fine, but we need to make some adjustments to that later"

He grinned.

"Nothing illegal Rick", She warned as she pointed a finger at him, slowly walking up the steps.

His face fell into a pout, "Then what's left to do?"

She shook her head at him as she laughed, "We have class so don't spend too long out here"

"Yes Cha-Cha"

….

"Where do you even get this many crickets from?"

"Daryl is a man of many trades... for the right price, that is"

Michonne bit her nail as she they walked along the top floor of the library, "Rick… this is a bad idea"

"I know, but it was last minute and we were bored-"

"No Rick, I mean this is a bad idea in general not a bad _bad_ idea!" She whispered harshly.

"Cha-Cha, out of all the things I've done, you think this is the worst?" He raised an eyebrow at her, "This is pretty tame."

She dragged her hand over her face.

"Come on, we're doing this together", He moved behind her and gave her the container to hold.

"What? No! You do it, I don't want-"

"Shhh. Look just hold the lid here and the tub here" He put her hands over the container, "You'll just open it, and I'll do the rest. Now you ready?"

"No"

"Good" He looked around for a moment before calling out, "Go!"

Michonne opened the containers and Rick put his hand over hers to flick the tub out over the balcony. A symphony of cries followed throughout the library, as Daryl, Shane and Glenn released their own little hoards.

Rick chuckled as he pulled Michonne away, running back down the stairs and out the front door. Michonne was wide eyed as she watched people jump up and down, shaking themselves and their heads to get the creatures off them. She felt nothing but guilt.

"You see that man run into the wall?", Shane laughed as they approached the cars.

"Some lady was right underneath me and got covered!", Glenn chuckled.

Rick put his arm around Michonne as he smirked, "Don't look at me like that, that was harmless"

She stared at him.

He pouted.

She bit her bottom lip and shook her head as she tried not to laugh.

"There's that smile", He grinned as he gave her a little squeeze, "Nothan' makes me happier than see my favourite girl smile"

She sighed as she looked up at him. His eyes flashed with amusement as he watched her, "Take me home now"

He shook his head, "Let's go get somethan' to eat"

She groaned as they got in his car. Something she never took into consideration about living with Rick was that he was going to want her with him frequently, if not all the time. While she always enjoyed being with him, she wasn't used to being out anywhere near as much as he was, and he treated his home like a hotel.

"Oh great"

She looked up from her menu to see what Rick groaned under his breath about, and quickly realized when she saw Jessie and Paula walk in. She kept her eyes off Paula for obvious reasons.

"Hey boys!... and girl", Jessie smiled, as Paula sat in the booth first, then Jessie did the same, opposite her and Rick.

Michonne gave a small quick smile. She wanted to forget the incident with her and hoped Rick would bring it up.

"So what's the plan for tonight?", Paula looked around at the boys.

"Nice day to go swimming right?", Glenn looked around at the others, "They just opened up the pool"

"That sounds like fun", Shane agreed.

They all sat around talking after ordering their food. Michonne couldn't help but notice the coldness Rick was generating towards Jessie when she spoke to him. She questioned if the other teen even remembered the poor speech she gave her, as Jessie seemed to behave normally, as did Paula, which Michonne was even quite grateful for.

"How's that little fur ball of yours?"

Michonne put down her milkshake to look at Daryl, "Fur ball?!"

He snickered, "That's what she looked like when I saw her"

She couldn't help but smile at the remark, realizing he was probably the one that helped Rick get the kitten, "Rocky is great"

"Rocky?", Daryl repeated, then slowly nodded, "Nice name"

"Thanks… don't you think she's like a little cat version of someone we both know…" Her eyes darted back to Rick.

Daryl bit his lips together as he caught the reference.

"Funny", Rick deadpanned as he scanned over them both, "We should get going"

"Alright, let's go", Daryl tapped the table and everyone began to evacuate the booth.

Michonne was quite was surprised when Jesse got in to Rick's car instead of Shane's, and she could see Rick was annoyed too, though she was glad he didn't say anything to her then.

"So Michonne, this is the first time you've come out with us right?"

Michonne looked back at Jessie, and gave a little nod, "Yeah… I guess it is"

"I never thought you'd be into stuff like this"

"Yeah… it's not something I'd usually do…", She looked at Rick, who glanced at her with a smile.

"You're not gonna get in trouble with your folks are you?"

Michonne didn't know how to answer that. She didn't want to tell this girl that she barely knew about her living situation.

"She'll be fine", Rick looked up at the rear view mirror at Jessie.

"Oh… good"

Michonne's thoughts travelled to her parents. A part of her wondered if they were worried about her, though she didn't think her father did, more her mother. The other part wondered if they even cared, and that feeling was stronger than the other. She stared out the windshield aimlessly as she thought about it, so consumed by the subject that she didn't realize they even reached the swimming pool. The nervousness about what they were about to do creeper up again.

She watched as they all walked up to the side fence to the pool, which was locked. Daryl went over to it and kneeled, fussing with the lock for a moment before pushing the fencer door open. Michonne realized they all had their specialties in Rick's group. They went inside and Shane had already stripped off his T-shirt and grabbed Paula, jumping in while she was still fully clothed. Glenn just dived in, still fully dressed also without a care in the world.

"You ready?"

Rick dropped his t-shirt to floor and stepped out his boots.

"Rick…"

"Shoes off.. Though you're wearing a dress so… I wouldn't jump in if I was you" He winked at her as he backed away, causing a strange warmth to radiate in Michonne's stomach, before he jumped in the pool, pulling Daryl with him. Jessie stripped off her shoes and jeans and need dived in after them.

She looked down as she pulled off her shoes and took off her denim waist coat. She walked to the edge and sat down, feeling some relief that the water was lukewarm and not cold. They were all splashing about and jumping with each other and Michonne couldn't explain why she felt a little awkward.

Rick walked over to her with a smile on his face. He held her waist and pulled her off the ledge and she gasped as it was a little colder than she thought. She held on to his shoulders as her body temperature adjusted.

"We're going under", He grinned.

"What? I just straightened my hair this morning" She complained.

Rick stared at her, "I don't even know what that means"

"It's means-"

Before she could say anything else he dipped them both underwater. Michonne could have killed him for that, as she really didn't want to get her hair wet but she had to admit, it was fun.

When they came back up she smiled as she pushed her hair back from her face. Rick was grinning back at her.

"Cannonball!"

Glenn ran from the side of the pool and jumped in, splashing them all. Jessie ran and did the same after him. Daryl hopped up on the ledge and growled when he took out his wet packet of cigarettes from his jeans. Michonne gave him a sympathetic look and he snorted.

"Come on, let's jump in!"

Paula grabbed Michonne's hand and they climbed out the pool together. They both took a few steps back, before running and jumping in holding hands. Paula laughed with her as they resurfaced, both pulling their hair out of their faces. Michonne was about to say something when Paula leaned in, and placed a quick, soft kiss on her lips. Michonne was stunned.

"Hey!"

The sound of a man's voice stopped them all. He stood at the top of the pool with his hands at his sides, wide eyes scanning over all of them.

"All of you out now!"

They all got out and stood staring at the man awkwardly for a moment as they waited to hear what he was going to say.

"You know the pool is closed!"

"Is it?", Shane asked, "We thought we just got here a little early for the night swim"

A few of them snickered as his little joke.

"What night swim?"

"This one!"

Daryl snuck up behind the man and pushed him in the pool. The others quickly grabbed their things and ran out the fence door. Michonne picked up her shoes, then quickly grabbed the red rescue float from the wall and through it in the pool. Shane and Rick stopped and frowned at her.

"In case he can't swim!", She explained quickly.

"He's the damn life guard!", Shane tilted his head at her, "That's the first thing he has to be able to do!"

"Oh… Oh okay", She frowned and looked back at the man as he reached the ledge of the pool.

Rick grabbed her hand and the last three ran from the pool to the cars. Everyone was so concerned with getting away that no one cared about their wet clothes on the seats. Michonne sat shivering as Rick dropped Glenn and Paula home. The other girl gave her a small wave as she walked away from the car and Michonne did the same, even though she was still pretty shocked about her earlier move. She didn't even know how she would deal with such a situation without making it awkward.


	8. Chapter 8

"She kissed you?"

Rick studied Michonne's face as they lay in his bed that Saturday morning.

She nodded with a huff.

He looked to the ceiling, thinking about it, then began laughing.

"It's not funny!", She insisted.

"It is a little, you know she'd asked me about you randomly in the past, but I thought that was because of Jessie or Karen… not because she wanted you all to herself-"

"Stop it!"

He bit his lips together and looked over at her, "Sorry. Fine. You should probably tell her you're not into girls before she tries it again"

"How though?"

"You wanna call her? I think I got her number-"

"I'm not doing that over the phone Rick"

He sighed, "We'll probably end up seeing her later anyway"

She groaned and ran her hands over her face, "Great"

"If she tries it again just say Rick said-"

She burst into chuckles as she looked at him, "Oh yeah, that's a good idea. Every time I have a problem with someone I should just say _'Rick said_ '-"

"Yes" He leaned on his forearms as he rolled on his side and looked down at her, "All your problems will disappear if you do"

She shook her head, "It don't think life works that way"

"It's a shame it doesn't"

"I know", She smiled at him, and he almost found himself lost in her eyes.

It took him a moment to catch himself, and when he did, he sat up and brushed a hand over his face, "My parents are probably already setting everythan' up for today"

She sat up to and threw her legs over the bed, "We should help them"

He dropped his head, turning it a fraction to look at her, "Please."

"Stop it. You can help out around here every once and awhile Rick", She looked back over her shoulder at him.

His eyes trailed up her back to meet hers, before darting to a new direction, "Yeah you've told me"

"Maybe just held your dad get the grill going or something. I'll help your mom in the kitchen"

He nodded, choosing not to look at her, "Alright fine"

"Thank you", She sang as she got up off the bed.

….

"I invited her parents before... well everthan', but I don't think they'll be coming anymore"

Rick looked at his mother's back as she refilled the punch bowl in the kitchen. Her barbecue was well underway and Rick was ready to leave.

"I mean if they do we can all be civil still-"

"I doubt they'll come. And if they do then we're leaving", Rick insisted as he leaned against the counter, "You should have heard how he talked about her"

"I know. He wasn't the friendliest man when I spoke to him, but her mother seemed pretty upset…"

Rick looked out the kitchen window at the people talking amongst each other in the back yard as his mother went out the back door. He hoped her parents wouldn't come, as he was already noticing a change in Michonne's demeanour; she was more relaxed and more playful. He didn't want that to change.

"Rocky's sleeping"

He looked towards Michonne as she walked over and joined him at the counter, "She's been scratching my chair"

Michonne cringed, "Yeah… I saw that… sorry?"

He shook his head, though he didn't take his eyes off her, "She needs toys or somethan'"

"Like a scratching post… we should probably shut your bedroom door in the day"

He sighed and nodded, turning to look right back out the window, "You thought about staying here for college?"

"I have…"

He turned back to her, waiting for her answer.

"I'm wondering, if that's a good idea?"

He frowned, tension rising through his body, "Why?"

She faced him, one hand resting on the counter, "Because… I know you said that I can just get my licence and drive back and forth but, that's going to be an expensive choice Rick-"

"How? We can afford it"

"Doesn't mean we should do it" She stressed with a small shrug, "If we're serious about moving out-"

"I am" He faced her, trying to keep his tone steady, "Look, let's focus on getting you your license, I'll talk to my dad so as soon as schools done I'll be working with him, we can get you a car and worry about everythan' that comes with that for now, and everythan' that comes with moving out later. We just need to handle one thang at a time, alright?"

She stared at him for a few seconds, then gave a slow nod in agreement.

He slid his hand over her shoulder, pulling her against him, "We'll figure this all out Cha-Cha, we've talked about it for too long to let us back out now"

"I'm not backing out", She looked up at him with a furrowed brow.

He pursed his lips, which were only inches from hers, "I didn't say you were"

"You were implying-"

He stopped her, "Remember when we first came up with our plan?"

She fought back a smile, "No I don't"

His head jerked back a fraction, "Cha-Cha, don't you dare"

"Of course I remember!", She insisted, finally smiling at him, "You told me that I can move out after you heard your mom talking to your dad about a case"

He narrowed his eyes at her, "Where were we?"

She winced at him, "Your bed, where else?"

"How old was I?", He could just about remember himself but he had to make it seem as if he was testing her memory.

"You had just turned sixteen and I was fifteen and I was wearing my pink pyjamas and bunny slippers and you were wearing a white t-shirt with-"

"Alright alright. You remember. Good" He leaned down and kissed her forehead, satisfied with her recalling of events.

"Do you remember our first sleepover?"

His gaze went up and around the room, "Yes… I do"

"You didn't sleep", She teased with a grin, "You were a mess when you woke up-"

"I was making sure you were okay-"

"You were scared to touch me-"

"Remember when you was just getting the hang of shaving and only got rid of the hair on the front of your legs?"

Her jaw dropped as she tried to pull away from him, "You said you'd never bring that up again!"

He chuckled as he held her against him, "Fine, we'll put that back in the safe, along with our first sleepover. Deal?"

"Deal" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"The parties here!"

They both broke away from each other to see Shane, Glenn and Daryl walking towards them from the hallway.

"Well ain't this somethan'...", Shane looked out the kitchen window, then turned to Rick, "When can we leave?"

Rick looked at his watch, "Give it a few hours"

"Alright", His friend sighed as he turned back to face him.

"What's the plan for today?"

"Me and Daryl cleaned out the Cabin" Glenn grinned.

"It's in pretty good shape", Daryl added, "Lights still working and everythan'"

"You thinking a party?", Rick looked between the three of them.

"Yup. Nothing too big, we don't want everyone and their mama knowing about it", Shane raised his eyebrows towards the last part of his comment.

"Sounds good to me", He looked at Michonne.

She gave a little shrug, "Sure"

He looked back at the others, "Alright. Party it is"

They left the kitchen to get something to eat in the yard.

"You invite Sasha to this thing?"

Daryl gave a quick nod to Rick, "She's sneaking out… I was gonna ask… You mind picking her up?.."

"Yeah sure, but tell her to wait at the end of her street or somethan'. You don't want her seen getting in my car"

Daryl seemed to think about it, then nodded in agreement.

Rick looked back at the other people in the area, smiling when he saw her. Michonne was listening to his father talk about something, nodding along to his words. He had to admit, the whole situation with her parents was slowly bringing Rick closer to his. Ever since he had the initial conversation with them, they all spoke a bit more in each other's company. Rick didn't mind, as long as he was still free to do what he wanted, he was willing to welcome the change.

"So Sasha's sneaking out now?", He turned his attentions back to Daryl.

Daryl smirked, "Not the best influences, are we?"

Rick gave a crooked smile, eyes scanning around the yard again, "Nope"

"Aye"

Daryl hit Rick on the arm and nodded ahead. Rick looked to wear he was signalling and groaned. Michonne's mother appeared from the side of the house, carrying a large bag as her eyes darted around at the others.

Rick got up from his chair and went straight over to Michonne, who hadn't noticed as he stood talking to his father still.

He waited until both of them noticed him to speak, in a low voice, "Your mom's here"

Her face fell as she turned, eyes searching the yard.

"Oh, well, let me go have a word with her", His father rested his hand on Michonne's arm as walked past her.

"You wanna go now?", Rick planted himself in front of her.

She looked up at him, her brow furrowing, "I don't want to have to run away from them whenever they're around… but I don't really want to see them either"

He nodded as he turned his head, looking around to see if she was still where he last saw her. She was indeed, but this time with both of his parents talking to her. He was curious as to why she'd came, and why she came alone.

Her mother was speaking and both his parents wore slightly concerned looks as they listened to her. His mother then nodded, before making her way over to the teens.

"Michonne your mother's here…", His mother looked back at the woman, then back to Michonne, "She came to drop off the last of your clothes and she'd like to have a quick talk with you?"

Michonne's eyes darted over her shoulder, for a quick second, "She wants to talk to me?"

"Yes, dear"

Rick bit his lip as he watched her make her decision, unsure of how he'd feel if she agreed.

She gave a quick nod and walked over to where her mother stood with Rick's father. Rick watched anxiously, his eyes locked on the two as he refused to blink.

"Did she say what she wanted to talk about?"

His mother shook her head, even though she knew Rick wasn't looking at him and neither was she, "No, she just said she wanted to have a quick talk"

Michonne was still as her mother talked, her arms by her side, and her eyes slightly wider than normal. Rick thought she looked like a child again, as he had many memories of Michonne being scolded by her parents. Her mother raised her hand and pointed down at the ground, and while he couldn't hear the conversation, he knew whatever she was saying wasn't good. This went on for a few more moments before her mother walked away, disappearing around the side of the house. Rick didn't waste any time going over to her.

"You alright?"

She looked past him with a small frown, "Yeah…"

He studied her face with winced eyes, "Are you sure? What did she say to you?"

Her mouth opened, but words didn't leave immediately as she finally turned her gaze to him, "I don't think I want to talk about it right now"

Her reply made him uncomfortable, but he did his best not to show her that, "Alright, later?"

She nodded as she looked away, "Yeah, later"

Rick wished for later from the minute she said that, as he demeanour changed completely after that. Whatever her mother said bothered her to the point where she seemed distracted whenever he spoke to her. She only made eye contact with him every few comments, she didn't even seem like the was listening to anyone around her.

They all left his parents' home as soon as the sun began to set, and it was only more tense in the car as she sat facing towards the door, her arms folded as she looked out the window. Her subdued mood didn't just stop at her, it radiated to him and he drove in a overwrought state.

He never liked to see her upset, especially when it came to her parents because he knew that was always something that ran deep, and there was only so much he could do to make her feel better about it. So he just sat in silence with her as they made their way to the cabin.

"How are you feeling?"

Rick watched Michonne as she sat on the counter in the cabin. They had cleaned it up well and it was really not too bad, given the circumstances. The living area and kitchen were combined and it had two bedrooms, which were both vacant of any furniture. Rick left the others to set up Shane's speakers so he could see how Michonne was doing.

She looked at him and gave a half-hearted shrug, "I'm okay"

He stared at her, waiting for a more detailed reply.

She sighed and looked over his shoulders at the others, her voice low, "She said they're willing to forget everything and allow me to move back in, postpone my engagement and even help me pay for college, if I agree to have nothing to do with you… she said she'd give me time to think about it"

He frowned as he tilted his head to catch her gaze, "Are you?"

"No, Rick" She shook her head, annoyed that he would even have to ask her that, "I'm just… it just really sucks that, that's the kind of relationship I have with my parents… I know your parents are pretty laid back and they leave you to your own devices but, you still talk like a normal family… they were happy to let me move in so they wouldn't lose you and that… I like that. I'm jealous of that"

He nodded as he rubbed the back of his head and moved directly in front of him, "I get it. I'm sorry about it too. But if it's any consolation… you have me, you have my parents too… hell, I think my dad likes you more than me"

She gave a little smile and he gave an even bigger one.

"My point is, I don't know if it will ever get better with them, but I do know that I don't want it to weigh you down like it did earlier…If they don't realise that you're a beautiful, precious…", He reached up and ran his finger over the pendant on her necklace, "Little hummingbird then, that's their loss, and I'll gladly keep you all to myself"

She felt her heart flutter as she looked down at his hand, "I thought you were going to call me a lamb again"

He chuckled, then shook his head, "Nah, not today"

"What would I do without you Rick?", She encased his hand in hers.

His focus shifted from the contact to her words, "Well you'd probably still be shaving only the front-"

"The safe, Rick!" She hissed at him as she dropped his hand.

He chuckled as he took her hand in his and kissed the base of her thumb, "It's back in there. I promise"

"Good".

"Paula's coming over by the way so…", He raised his eyebrows at her.

"I'll talk to her", She sighed, "Hopefully we can be friends"

He nodded, "Hopefully"

"Hey! Y'all can help us you know!"

Both of them looked towards Shane, who stood with his hands at his sides and his head tilted. Rick raised his hands in surrender before helping her down off the counter.

"Yes, sir"

….

"You told her we're here, right?"

"Yeah, she's coming"

Rick watched the corner of the street as he waited for Sasha to appear. He's knee bounced nervously as he did, not because of her, but because he left Michonne back at the party with Shane and Glenn. He knew the other two knew what he expected of them, but he couldn't help but feel anxious, especially after what happened with Jessie at the last party.

He could have killed Shane for inviting her and Karen but his friend wasn't aware of the strange situation between them all.

Michonne wasn't used to that kind of environment and he wanted to be the person that slowly introduced her to it all, but she was adamant that she'd be fine without him, so he relented. In all honesty he would have carried her to his car and left anyway if he considered it worth her wrath.

"Here she is"

Rick watched Sasha sprint across the street to get to the car. He found her and Daryl's little budding relationship quite cute, as Daryl wasn't one that took great interest in females like Shane, or even himself to some extent.

"Hey guys!", She smiled as she got in the back of the car, "Thanks for picking me up Rick"

"No problem", He lied. It was a problem, but he wasn't going to tell her that.

"Where's Michonne?"

He could have groaned, "She's back at the party"

"Oh okay. She must be enjoying herself"

Rick resisted the urge to look back at Sasha questioningly because of two reasons. The first being, he actually liked her, she was a nice girl, and the second, was that Daryl probably wouldn't appreciate him evil eyeing his love interest.

He attempted to come across as normally as possible as he sped his way back across town to the party. He was sure Daryl and Sasha had picked up on his uneasy mood but they were kind enough not to show it, and chose to just put their seatbelts on discreetly.

He just wanted to make sure she was fine, that no one had troubled her and that she was indeed enjoying herself in the company and guarding of his two friends.


	9. Chapter 9

"So that little mousy friend of yours… What's the deal with her?"

Michonne moved her cup from her lips to look at Shane, "Who Lori?"

He gave a single nod.

"Uh… She's um", She looked around the crowded cabin as she tried to find the words to her even more refined friend, "She's like the rest of us… you know"

Shane stared at her for a few seconds, "She's the preacher's daughter right?"

"She is"

"So how would I go about getting through to someone like her? How would I get her attention? Because whenever I've been around her, she seems to be judging me"

Michonne suppressed the chuckle that was about to escaped her lips, "She really likes flowers… she wants to have her own flower store one day…"

Shane's brow furrowed, "Flowers?"

She nodded.

His eyes darted away from her, then back, "Is there somethan' else that isn't so damn cheesy?"

Michonne frowned as she thought, "She likes dogs-"

"Is my name Rick?", He tilted his head at her.

Michonne sighed, "She's going away to abstinence camp this summer so maybe you could-"

"What camp? Absinthe?"

"Abstinence" She leaned forward and said it slower.

His face pinched in confusion, "The hell is that?"

"It's when you don't indulge in things that you consider tempting, like sex"

His face fell, "There's a camp for that?"

She gave another nod, "Why don't you talk to her about it…"

He stared at her for an almost uncomfortable amount of time, before dragging his hand over his face, "Looks like it's flowers then"

She could finally release the chuckle that she held in earlier. She gazed back around the party going on around them. She was enjoying herself, despite being under the watchful eye of Shane and Glenn.

She was taking another tiny sip of her paint stripper beverage, when she saw Paula making her way over to them. She quickly sat up straight on the counter and smiled.

"My favourite people!", Paula grinned, appearing a drink away from being drunk. She stumbled over to Michonne and put her hands on either side of her legs, "How are you doing?"

Michonne sighed in head, "You should probably slow it down, Paula"

"Oh look at you, all worried about me"

Michonne's smile tightened, "Have some water or something"

"You've been here for like ten minutes? How are you so drunk?", Glenn frowned at her as he took her cup and sniffed the contents.

"Honey, I just need five", Paula attempted to whisper, but failed.

Michonne was about to hop down off the counter to get her some water when, Karen and Jessie both joined them. Jessie seemed a little more sober than the last party and Karen stood smiling at the others.

"So where's Rick? Not like him to disappear from a party", Karen asked, looking directly at Michonne.

"He'll be here" ,Shane answered as he opened a can of beer.

"Oh good", Her eyes slid over to his.

"Was I wearing a hat?", Glenn asked as he gently nudged Michonne.

She looked at him and winced, "I think so? You think you left it the car?"

"Not my car", Shane shook his head as he brought the can away from his lips.

He deflated, "It's probably at Rick's house. Can you bring it on Monday?"

She nodded, "I'll look for it"

"Can't Rick bring it for you if it's at Rick's house?"

Michonne slowly turned to look at Karen, who was watching the two of them with a curious expression.

Glenn froze, his hand in mid-air as he was about to run his fingers through his hair.

"So what you girls got planned for this summer?", Shane asked as he looked at the trio of girls.

Even though Paula was quick to slur an answer to Shane's question, Karen still kept her eyes on Michonne and Glenn, and so did Jessie, though she didn't say anything, she was just as vigilant at her friend. Michonne wondered if the two girls knew that they had both slept with Rick, and if not, would it damage their friendship. She didn't ponder on the subject for too long however, as she didn't honestly care that much.

"Come on, let's go dance", Paula took her hand to pull her off the counter.

Michonne looked to Shane, then Glenn, "I'll be right back here to so don't move"

They both looked at each other, before looking back at her and giving a single nod. She didn't particularly want to dance with Paula, as she hadn't year spoken to her about their previous time together, but she did want to dance.

After snaking their way to the centre of the crowded room, the two danced for a number of songs, and Michonne genuinely didn't mind dancing with Paula. The girl was a little clumsy because of her alcohol consumption, but still fun none the less. It made her hope she could actually be friends with her, even after she had the dreaded discussion about the kiss.

"Shit! Bathroom break"

Paula grabbed Michonne's hand and snaked them back through the other teens, to the other side of the cabin, where there was a small hallway where the bedrooms where, and more teens where, but there seemed to be a queue for the bathroom. Paula groaned and dragged her back through the cabin, stumbling as she headed outside. Michonne followed her around the side of the small wooden house, where they passed a few teens kissing, and into the tall trees that surrounded the property.

"Thank God it's dark"

Paula leaned against a tree as she pulled her knickers down from under her dress. Michonne decided to play look out as she turned around and looked beyond the trees, thankful she could still see the cabin from where she stood.

"So hey, what's going on with you and Rick? What's the big secret?"

Michonne almost turned to face her, "What do you mean?"

"Oh you know… you're like, stuck together"

"Yeah… he's my best friend"

"Yeah I've heard that, but like… Shane's a good friend… even though we've fucked.. a few times actually…"

Michonne frowned into the distance as she wondered where this conversation was going.

"It's just strange… you seem more like boyfriend and girlfriend, but you have a boyfriend- that Mike guy right?... and Rick… well Rick's fucked all my friends"

The girls admission made her cringe inside. It was true, but it didn't sound nice having someone else say it, "Mike and I aren't together anymore"

"Oh", Paula appeared beside her, "Well… he's an ass anyway"

Michonne couldn't help but smirk at her comment, "Yeah…"

"Come on, let's go inside before we get eaten by a bear or something"

They walked back to the cabin, where Michonne noticed Rick's car out front. She groaned when she realised he was probably inside, questioning Glenn and Rick about her disappearance. She hoped he'd start to have some faith in her being left alone at parties. While she did find herself nervous at times, it was getting easier, and not everyone was and Wolf out to get her.

They arrived back in the Kitchen area, where Rick was stood looking back and forth between Glenn and Shane, with Daryl and Sasha behind him.

"Hey you made it!", Michonne gave Sasha a hug as she made her presence known.

Rick looked back and squinted at her, before raising his brow in a questioning manner, "Where were you?"

"Dancing… then bathroom break", She gave a small shrug as she stepped over to him.

"See! She told us she went to dance", Shane through his hands up in frustration.

"I did", She supported, "But Paula needed to go to the bathroom but there was a line so we went… outside"

Rick looked at the space behind her, "Where's Paula?"

Michonne turned around and saw that Paula was gone. She frowned and turned back, "Probably gone to dance again"

Rick sighed, nodding as he looked back at Shane and Glenn, "Alright alright"

"See", Shane grinned as he handed him a beer, "Everythan's fine, so you can relax"

Michonne slipped past the friends, to pour herself a drink, as she had no idea which was hers in the sea of red solo cups. She had taking a liking to the spirits, even though she sipped only drops of it at a time. She was slowly introducing herself to the world of alcohol.

"What are you drinking?"

Rick held her hand as he tipped the cup towards him, causing his eyes to widen when he saw the contents. Michonne wondered how familiar he was with drinks to be able to tell without tasting or smelling it.

"Really? You're all grown up now?"

She pulled her hand away from him, "I'm not drinking it all in one go, Rick"

He raised his eyebrows at her, "I'd hope not"

She sighed as she looked away from him, turning her attentions to Sasha, who was not surprisingly a few feet away from her talking to Daryl. As sweet as they looked together, she could have used her friend in that moment. As she began to tire of Rick's attitude towards her.

"Hey! Where'd you go?"

Paula appeared at her side, holding a bottle and beginning to sway a little bit more than before. Michonne wondered where she went, but judging from her almost non-existent lipstick, she could figure it out.

"I was here", Michonne offered lightly as she took in her dishevelled appearance.

"Come on, let's go dance again"

Paula did as she did before and grabbed her hand, dragging her away from the kitchen area by the hand. Michonne didn't dare look at Rick, she knew well enough that he was probably watching the two of them.

She couldn't get lost in the music like she had done before, not with Rick there. She wished he'd let go the way she'd seen him do with his other friends. She'd heard stories about the things he'd do at parties that he'd been to before and while she was nearly and ways left shocked, but she knew he was reckless. Though he seemed to be holding back in her presence and she didn't want that, though she was thankful that he wasn't running completely wild, she didn't want him to sacrifice his fun to watch over her.

"Here, have some"

Paula pulled away from her ear and held out the bottle she held to Michonne. She looked at it, wondering what it was as she sniffed it. It didn't seem to have a scent, and she wondered if that was good or not. She took the tiniest sip, and she could have sworn it burnt her lips. She shook her head and handed it back to a giggling Paula.

"It's not for everyone", She brought the bottle to her lips and drank it as if it was water.

Michonne's eyes widened as she pulled the bottle away from her, "How about you save some of that"

"Yeah, you're right!"

"Hey girls!"

Michonne turned around to see Karen, slip beside them. While she said hello to both of them, she only had eyes for Michonne.

"You having fun?" Karen asked over the music.

Michonne gave her a nodded before looking back to Paula, who was jumping around beside them, almost smiling her drink.

"Let's take her outside"

Karen grabbed Paula's arm and began pulling her through the crowd. Michonne hesitated, as she didn't want to have to deal with Karen, though she was worried about Paula, so she followed ahead, hoping to leave the two when Paula was sat somewhere.

"So! I've never really seen you at these parties"

Karen leaned on the front porch as she looked Michonne up and down, after sitting Paula down on the steps.

"Yeah, it's not really something I did before" Michonne kept her eyes on Paula, feigning great concern, though she did seem to stop swaying.

"So that bad boy Rick is really rubbing off on you...I've noticed the two of you have been spending a lot more time together…"

Michonne's eyes darted up to the teen, then back down to the other one.

"I've heard that the two of you grew up together… So your like brother and sister or something right?"

She tried not to frown at her assumption, instead gave a little shrug, "Not something I've heard before"

"So do you two stay over at each other's houses and stuff like that?"

Michonne realised she no longer had to stick around for the conversation, and slowly made her way up the steps, "Not really-"

"Oh good. So if he takes me home later then you won't mind?"

Michonne's eyes widened slightly at Karen's boldness. She shook her head and smirked, "Sure, If he's looking for that later then I'm sure he'll know where to find you"

Karen gave a smile that Michonne knew wasn't genuine but she was past the point of caring. She knew Rick was trying to stay away from she and Jessie, but it still annoyed her that the other female could even say such a thing. It wasn't as though she was lying, given another time, Rick probably would have. Michonne frowned when she realised he still could have if he wanted to. Her train of thought made her uncomfortable.

"Where'd you go?"

Rick frowned at her as he sat on the countertop, "Sasha went to look for you, said she couldn't find you?"

"We danced, then took Paula outside" She explained as she stood beside him, taking a sip from her drink.

He watched her every move, "Who's we?"

"I was dancing with Paula, then Karen came over and we took her outside-"

"Didn't I tell you to stay away from her?"

Her gaze dropped as she remembered, but she looked back up quickly, "I barely talked to her. I just took Paula outside and made sure she was okay before I came back in"

He blinked at her for a few seconds, before shaking his head, smirking as he looked in the other direction.

She sighed and put her cup down, "What Rick? I haven't done anything wrong-"

"I didn't say a thang", He shrugged as he looked back at her with an indifferent expression.

"You know what I mean, so stop it"

He bit the corner of his lip as he sized her up with his eyes, "You have a problem?"

She huffed in annoyance. She was growing tired of him always looming over her, "I'm not a child, so stop treating me like one"

He tilted his head, "I'm treating you like a child?"

She blinked, "Yes you are, you're always hovering around me like I'm incapable of looking after myself, you even had your friends babysit me while you were gone-"

"So nothing happens to you", He leaned forward as his bit out the words.

"Nothing happened to me when I was out of their sights", She crossed her arms over her chest, still holding her cup, "I was away from you most of tonight and yet, I was perfectly fine"

His eyes were hard as they looked her up and down, "Your fine without me then?"

"I'm not hurt am I? I didn't put myself in any danger did I? I danced and hung out with Paula a little. That was it. You're not gonna make me feel bad for that-"

"Who's the one that brought you here? Who's the one that took you go your first party?" He leaned forward as he leaned at her, "I want you to come out, but if you're not going to listen to me-"

"Then what? I'm on punishment? Will I get in trouble for not letting you control me like my parents?"

His face was a picture of confusion as he sat up straightened up, his eyes darting all over her face.

"You're comparing me to your parents?"

She looked down at the counter in front of her, refusing to meet his gaze. He hopped off the counter, his head tilted as he looked down at her.

"Well?"

She turned around, her chest only an inch from hers as he was stood so close. She looked up with him with angry eyes, that to her dismay didn't have anything on his cold stare.

"I'm like your parents?", His voice was calm, though his body language said otherwise.

She stared back at him, not feeding into the anger that she knew was brewing within him.

He watched her for what felt like a few minutes, before slowly nodding and turning around and facing his friends, "This is meant to be a party right?! Let's light this place up!"

His friends all grinned as they watched him, as if glad to have their party god back. Michonne felt a tightness in her chest, and couldn't pinpoint the emotion she was feeling. Her and Rick rarely argued with that kind of intensity before, and she didn't want to make the comparison to her parents, but she was annoyed with him.

Karen appeared at Rick's side, her eyes wide with excitement. He pursed his lips as his eyes dragged from her toes all the way up to her eyes, before he smirked and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. While Shane jumped up and led the way out the Cabin, and Glenn drunkenly followed, Daryl frowned at his friends, looking from Rick to Michonne suspiciously before leaving Sasha to follow.

"Uh… What's going on?", Sasha asked as she moved to stand with her.

Michonne sighed, watching others following the boys outside, "He's mad at me"

"Why?"

"I said he was like my parents"

Sasha's eyes popped open as her head jerked back, "Oh…"

Michonne shook her head and turned back to the counter, "Let him be mad. I'm sick of him always breathing down my neck"

Sasha watched her pour herself more alcohol and lean against the counter, frustration written all over her body, "Uh… okay, why don't you just talk to him… you know properly? Like not at a party… while you're drinking?"

Michonne sighed, she could agree with that, "I will, maybe tomorrow or something. When he's not in asshole mode"

Sasha nodded, her eyes still on Michonne's cup, "What is that by the way?"

She shrugged, "I don't even know anymore"


	10. Chapter 10

Rick threw the first firework in the air and watched it go off with some level of glee. He was angry, to say the least, and needed to take it out on something, and poorly made, dangerous explosions seemed to do the trick.

"Look who it is"

Rick's eyes came off the firework Shane had thrown and on to the driveway, where a familiar looking car pulled up. He frowned at first, then smirked when he saw who came out.

"Can we help you?"

Mike snarled at Rick as two of his friends joined him, slowly walking up to them, "What's it to you?"

Rick gave a nonchalant little shrug, "This our party so, I need to see invitations"

Mike's head jerked back, "This is your party?"

"It is"

"Aye Rick, let em go on inside", Shane appeared at his side, with a hand on his shoulder.

Rick raised an eyebrow at Shane.

"Go on in and enjoy yourselves gentleman"

Mike looked at Shane strangely, before back at his two friends who both gave him confusing looks back, "We won't stick around long. Just came to check it out"

"That's fine. Knock yourselves out"

Mike glared at Rick as he walked past him, heading straight up to the cabin. Rick looked at Shane again, who was watching the three teens walk inside the cabin. Rick's eyes dropped to what was in Shane's hands, and he an excitement fired through him as he realized what his friend had planned.

"Do it"

Rick handed Shane the lighter, and watched him set alight the large firework, before running over to Mike's car and throwing it in the open back window.

"Fire in the whole! Move!"

As the four boys knew what to expect, they all moved clear out the way, while over students panicked and moved back as Mike's car seats began to catch alight. Just as Rick expected, the firework went off in the car, sending black smoke pouring out of it, before finally a large explosion, causing the windows to break and nearby cars to bounce. He smiled from behind his own car as he watched it burn.

The teens around it all cheered and laughed as they watched, with a few gasps ringing out. Rick knew from previous times, that either the police would be there soon enough, so he had intentions to leave as soon as possible, but he needed to see Mike's reaction first.

He looked towards the front of the cabin where everyone that was inside, came spewing out, all with wide eyes as they looked at the burning car. He wondered where Michonne was, but not for too long as she and Sasha appeared, just as shocked as everyone else.

Sasha said something to Michonne, who in turn shook her head, causing Sasha to nod, before coming over to them. Rick didn't need to know what was said.

"What the hell? Whose car was that?", She asked with wide eyes.

"Don't know", Shane shrugged, "Never seen it before in my life"

Rick gave a small smirk and shook his head, "Let's get out of here before police show up"

"Alright", Shane sat up off his car and walked around to the driver's side.

"Uh… what about?...", Sasha's tilted her head in the direction of the cabin.

Rick looked over at Michonne, who was looking at the blaze, just as Mike pushed through the crowd, his eyes wide and his jaw hanging.

Sasha quickly ran through the crowd and over to Michonne. Rick divided his attention between an angry Mike and the two girls talking on the porch. He realised the other male would be over to blame him in any moment, and he was in the mood to happily welcome the fight.

When he looked back at Michonne and Sasha, Michonne was no longer there and Sasha was making her way back over to them, the same time Mike was.

"You!", Mike barked as he stomped towards him.

"Yeah, hold on a second!", Rick called as he turned his attentions to Sasha, "What happened?"

Sasha quickly looked back at Mike, then Rick, "She's staying. I'm staying with her"

"What-"

Rick pushed Sasha out the way just as Mike made a lunge for him, knocking him to the ground. Rick truly hated him in that moment for punching him right on the same bruise he gave him just days before.

"Hey, over here!", Shane shoved Mike off Rick, grinning at him as he pulled off his T-shirt. "I'm the one you want"

Mike's eyes flashed with anger as he jumped up off the floor and tackled Shane. Rick watched the two scuffle as he stepped over to Sasha.

"What do you mean she's staying here?", He asked as he glanced over at her, shouting over the crowd that now circled the two vehicles.

Sasha looked back and forth between the fight and Rick, "She said she's staying so I'm staying with her"

Rick groaned as he all but dragged his hands over his face as he watched the fight.

"Y'all go, I'll call my brother to pick us up", Daryl insisted, his eyes locked on Shane and Mike.

Rick turned to him, thinking over the idea. He knew she was probably just as mad as him and wanted to calm down, so he sighed and nodded in agreement, "Alright"

He stomped over to Shane and Mike and pulled Shane off him, and pushing him in the direction of his car. Glenn jumped over Mike to get in Shane's car, where Jessie pushed a drunk Paula in to the back seat, while Rick went over to his own, just as Karen got in the passenger seat.

He hooked his horn so students would move out the way, before driving off, checking in his rear view mirror as he did.

"That was crazy!", Karen giggled as she looked out the back window.

Rick didn't say anything back, he just kept driving. His mind was racing, so many thoughts pulsed through his head that he didn't have a chance to focus on her words. He just knew he was angry and upset and he didn't know what to do with himself.

….

"What's wrong?"

Rick sat up from Karen's bed and ran his fingers through his hair. He threw the unopened condom back on the nightstand and sighed.

"Is there a problem or…"

He frowned into her dimly lit room. He gazed around it questioning why he was there in the first place. He shook his head as he stood up and grabbed his jeans.

"Rick, what's going-"

"I can't do this", He huffed as he pulled them on, his eyes up at the ceiling.

"Well can you tell me why? You never had a problem before?"

"Because I didn't care before", He grunted as he grabbed his t-shirt.

He stopped when he saw Karen's mouth agape as she sat on her bed, her sheets up over her chest.

He sighed and shifted his stance, shoving his feet in his boots, "Look, I'm sorry if that sounded harsh, but it's true… I've been an asshole. A really big asshole. And I'm sorry because you like me in a way that I don't like you, and I shouldn't have had sex with you at all. That was… a poor choice on my behalf"

She sat there staring at him, dumbstruck.

He yanked his t-shirt over his head and huffed, "Once again. Sorry"

He looked around for a moment, before nodding and walking out the room. He didn't feel it necessary to stick around any longer as he had already been there too long. He checked the time on his phone around so he snuck out her house. It was almost sunrise, and they had been driving around all night, so his body was beginning to feel it.

He wondered if Michonne was already home. He hoped she was, and he hoped she wasn't still angry. He groaned as he drove home, his body tense, mainly with anticipation, as he felt like he couldn't get their fast enough and with tiredness.

When he reached his driveway, he saw Michonne's father leaving their house. Rick automatically went in defence mode as he exited the car. He watched the older man as he looked over at Rick. Rick couldn't help but ponder why the man always left so early in the morning. He didn't even know if Michonne knew why either, but weekends he was up and out at the crack of dawn. Rick sent him one last glare before entering his own home.

The house was quiet as he expected. He virtually tip toed up the stairs, heading to his room first. He released another strained groan as he saw Rocky sat on his desk chair, with a few new scratches on the arm. He kicked off his boots and pulled his t-shirt off, chucking it on his bed as he ran his hand over his face. He left his room and went down to the guestroom, figuring that if Michonne wasn't in his bed then she'd be in that one.

He figured right, as he gently opened the door and saw a lump under that he covers. He stepped in and almost closed the door, when Rocky quickly snuck in. He was beginning to see why the kitten reminded Michonne of him, as she too was just as much of a pain as him.

"Hey", He didn't know where he was touching her as he rocked the covers to wake her.

She released a little moan as she rolled on to her back, her eyes tiny slits, "What?"

"I need to talk to you"

She looked over at the nightstand, lifting her head slightly to look at her alarm clock. She sighed and laid back, "It's too early, wait until later-"

"I know I should, but I can't because if I do I might talk myself out of this" If he wasn't so tired, he was sure his eyes would pleaded with her, "I need to say this now, and you can just lay there and listen"

She pulled the comforter down a little to look at him, looking as tired as he felt.

"When we stopped hanging out all those years ago, thangs changed for me. I couldn't work out what it was cause I was a kid, but I didn't miss you the way you'd miss a friend… I knew that much" He rubbed the back of his head as he poured his heart out, "It all just got… different. You started sleeping over and I was happy, we didn't get a chance to see each other in the day so I loved that you'd come over and we'd stay up talking all night to make up for it… but when you got your first boyfriend I realized what it was that was different… I realized what changed, and I was confused, and I thought all this time… Sleeping around just made it easier in a weird way…"

She sat up in the bed, her eyes still slits, and her hair in a messy pony tail.

"I guess, what I really felt just seeped his way out in other ways… I don't know, but I just tried to hide how I felt behind us being best friends…" He turned to face her, but kept his eyes everywhere else as he was nervous, "Now that you're not with you parents… I just feel like it's my job to protect you now, and I don't want anyone else to hurt you, but I realized I can't keep you locked up to myself… I think that would make you hate me and I don't want that because I love you"

Her eyes opened up a fraction.

He sighed as he found the courage to look at her, "I've been a punk. I know I have and I'm sorry. You're more than capable of looking after yourself and I don't need you with my every second of the day to make sure you're safe-"

Rick sat stunned, his apology cut short, his eyes wide as he looked at Michonne's eyelashes. It took him a moment to gather himself as she kissed him, but when he did, he didn't hold back. He held her waist as he pulled her to him, enjoying the way she tasted and how soft her lips were. He wanted to pinch himself, he had never felt this excited kissing someone, though he cursed his lower half for rising to the occasion so quickly. She re-positioned herself to straddle his lap, and as tempting as it was, he held her away from his crutch.

"Wait, wait, wait", The words left his mouth strained.

She pulled back confused, her eyes darted all over his face, "What?"

"As much as I'm enjoying this, and believe me I am… I need a shower, and rest because if we're gonna kiss like this then I wanna be clean with lots of energy"

She smiled and all felt right in his world, "Fair enough"

"How'd you feel about what I said? I mean you obviously liked it…", He raised an eyebrow about the her.

She gave a quiet chuckle, "I did like it. A lot"

"So… I mean", He looked up at the ceiling and sighed, "You feel the same way? Do you? And not because I just said all that?"

"I think it makes sense. A lot of sense. And I hold my relationship with you above everything else" She brushed his hair from his face, "I think when you started talking about what changed, it all just clicked into place… But we don't need to be tied together at the hip"

He sighed, "I know… I need to leave you alone sometimes… and you need to leave me alone sometimes…"

Her eyebrows shot up.

"Don't do that, you can be clingy too. Especially at night"

"Stop it"

"You are. Whenever I try to move you come over, pushing up on me to hold you"

She stared at him.

"I wouldn't mind if you weren't always so damn hot in the night. It's like sleeping next to an open flame"

The smile she tried to suppress was dying to make an appearance.

"It's not even like you sweat, you're just hot like a radiator or somethan'" He grinned.

She finally smiled as she shook her head and he pulled her to him, thankful that he could finally kiss her when she smiled. His mind raced as he slipped his tongue in her mouth, his eyes rolling back beneath his lids as her tongue danced with his. He was almost lost in the moment, when he felt a familiar throbbing.

"Alright alright", He broke the kiss and lifted her off his lap into her bed, "Go to sleep. I need a shower"

She frowned at him, "In here?"

He stood as he nodded, "Yep. You can have a whole morning to yourself"

"Oh…"

His face fell as he looked at her, "What do you mean 'Oh'? That's a good thing right? I thought we were giving each other space?"

"Yeah… but not sleeping… I meant like in the day time…"

He tilted his head at her and sighed as he opened the door, "Come on"

She climbed out the bed with a smile on her face, and was about to step out when she stopped, turned around and grabbed Rocky, before walking out the room. Rick shook his head, though he couldn't deny how happy he was.

...

"It's two in the afternoon! Get up!"

Rick groaned as he buried his face in Michonne's neck, trying his best to ignore the banging on his bedroom door.

"Alright!", He called out tiredly.

"Good!"

Rick missed the days where his mother didn't care if he was sleeping or dead. He wanted to inhale Michonne's sweet smelling hair, and lay wrapped around her.

"We need to get up"

"I don't want to", He mumbled against her skin.

"I know, neither do I but we have to" She stroked his arm.

He lifted his head as he rolled her on to her back, "I just wanna lie here and kiss you for while"

"Your mom might come back with a sledgehammer and take the door down"

"Let her" He whispered as he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.

He'd never knew he could enjoy kissing so much, and he had kissed more girls than he would care to admit. He'd kiss her until his lips were numb if they didn't have to get up.

All was going well until she took his bottom lip between her teeth and the urge to move between her legs became too great.

"We need to stop. The rest of my body's waking up", He whispered against her mouth.

She giggled, "Oh, sorry"

He resumed his original position, looking down at her, "I can't believe I'm asking this… but what does this mean?"

She chuckled at him, while he gave her a very unimpressed look, "Oh, how the tables have turned-"

"Answer me"

"What do you usually say to the girls that ask you that? It's not you, it's me?"

"I have never said that in my life"

She smiled at him as she brushed her fingers through his hair, "Well I have your number so I'll call you-"

He quickly used his free hand to tickle her waist, "You wanna play games?"

She giggled as she grabbed his hand, "Fine, fine, fine. I'll stop… So what does this mean… I think it means I'm your first girlfriend?"

He bit his lip as he studied her face, "My first girlfriend… you're my first girlfriend"

"I am…You like the sound of that?"

"I love it"

She reached up and traced her thumb over his jaw, careful not to put any pressure on his bruise, "Who blew up his car?"

Rick frowned for a moment, then his eyes flew open as he remembered what she was talking about, "Shit. Shane did"

Michonne sighed as she looked up at him.

"I'm gonna talk to Shane"

She shook her head as she sat up, "You should probably talk to your mom about it"

He snorted, "Nah. I'll handle it"

She looked back at him, "You don't think she could help sort it all out?"

He shook his head, not even thinking about it.

"She might surprise you. She seems pretty understanding… and you know, she's a judge"

He watched her for a moment, then sat up with a huff, "I'll think about it"

"Alright"


	11. Chapter 11

"So how are things Michonne?"

"Things are fine"

The principal nodded slowly, her eyes filled with concern, though Michonne felt like she was being examined by a crazed scientist.

"Have you had any contact with your parents?"

"Just my mom, and that was to give me the last of my clothes…"

The principal shook her head with disappointment, "They haven't reached out to you at all?"

Michonne's eyes darted behind her, feeling some sense of comfort in talking to her, "Well they said I can move back in If I cut Rick out my life…"

The principal raised her eyebrows.

"That's not an option for me so…", Michonne gave a little shrug, "It's just how it is right now"

"Why don't they like Grimes? I mean, don't get me wrong, I know first-hand that he's a pain, but what has he done to them?"

Michonne's brow furrowed as she thought, "Well when I was younger, they just didn't want me being so close to a guy… they don't believe in the whole, 'boys and girls can be friends' thing… now they think he poisoned me… they think it was his idea for me to move out…"

"And it was yours?"

"It was his idea, but it was something I wanted too, and I'm happier for it. I feel like a normal teenager at his house"

The principal nodded as she studied her face, "Well then that's great, I'm glad you feel you're in a place that you feel is better for you. I do hope that one day you and your parents come together to talk, maybe leave things more amicably, but otherwise, you seem to be doing well"

Michonne nodded.

"Have you got your cap and gown? Prom tickets? Prom dress?"

Michonne shook her head, "No not yet, but I'll make sure to sort that out today"

"Good, remember you can order everything during 5th and 6th period so you do that. How are you doing financially? Have you got a job?"

"I'm working it"

"Okay well if you do need any help then go and see the school counsellor before schools out for summer, okay?"

Michonne nodded again.

"Great! Well my door is always open! Well, for this last week it is but if you do need any help after that then you can come and talk to me alright? I'll try my best to help. Now go on, final exams this week so good luck!"

Michonne gave a small wave as she left the principal's office. She closed the door and turned to walk down the hall, when she was greeted by Rick and Shane, sat on the chairs outside the office.

"Walsh! Grimes! Get in here now!"

Michonne eyes widened as she looked back at the door, then the two teens, who rose from their seats groaning. Rick gave her a quick grin, resting his hand on the base of her neck as he kissed her on the forehead, causing her to smile, before they walked into the office.

She wondered if they were sent there because of what happened with Mike's car or something else. She wouldn't be surprised either way, as the two of them seemed to goad each other into trouble. If there was one thing she could change about Rick, it would be his carelessness, and his need to act on impulse. He was fortunate to not have gotten in any serious trouble yet, but he seemed hell bent on changing that.

"Hey! You didn't get caught right?", Michonne asked as soon as she approached Sasha at her locker.

Her friend shook her head, "Nope. I got home just fine"

"Oh good", Michonne sighed as she leaned on the lockers beside hers, "Daryl's brother was a bit weird right?"

"Weird? He was nuts!", Sasha scoffed, shoving her books away before looking at her, "Oh, did you and Rick talk it out?"

She couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips, "Oh yeah. We're fine"

"Oh good", Sasha quickly looked around the hallway, then leaned in to Michonne, "I might ask Daryl to prom"

Her eyebrows shot up, "Aww, sweet! Do it!"

"I will", Sasha grinned as she shut her locker door, "Have you got your ticket yet?"

Michonne shook her head as they started walking, "Nope. Haven't even really thought about it… with everything else going on"

"I get it. Who do you wanna go with? Is Rick going?"

Michonne almost grimaced, considering they hadn't even talked about it, "I'm not sure, maybe, I haven't even got a dress or anything. Do you?"

"Yeah but we can go look for you if you want? I'll say I'm going to the library or something and we can go look in town?"

She thought about it, and realised she could if she wanted to, and it felt nice to be able to make the choice, "Yeah sure, tomorrow after school? When is Prom?"

"This Friday", Sasha's browse rose, "So yeah we need to go look as soon as possible"

She nodded as they entered the cafeteria. After getting their lunch they went over to their usual table to eat, while Michonne still had other things on her mind. She tried to stop herself from looking at the cafeteria doors every few moments but she was anticipating Rick's arrival.

"Oh, Hey guys"

Daryl and a very nervous looking Glenn stood by, with Daryl taking a seat next to Sasha. Michonne quickly picked up on the reasons for Glenn's shy demeanour, and decided to introduce him to Maggie and Lori, who had already joined them for lunch. Glenn sat down next to Maggie, keeping a friendly distance from her, which Michonne thought was rather adorable.

"So we have our biology test today…", Michonne attempted to get a conversation going between the two, though Maggie seemed more interested in her lunch.

"Uh, I had my economics test today", She groaned as she stabbed her fork in her lasagne, "Glad I got that out the way"

Michonne widened her eyes at Glenn, hoping to encourage him to talk.

"Uh… So what do you like to do on the weekends?", He asked as he turned towards her.

Maggie looked over at him, her eyes travelling around the hall as she thought, "I usually just work on my daddy's farm or hang out with my sister… catch a movie or somethan'... you?"

Michonne kicked Glenn as he sat staring at her.

"Ow!...oh! Cool. That's cool", He tried to discretely recover, "We like to just hang too"

"That's not true. I heard about what y'all get up to", Maggie replied with raised eyebrows.

He blushed, "Yeah… things can get a little crazy, but it's not always… well sometimes we just hang out"

Maggie blinked at him with an indifferent expression. Michonne kicked him again.

He groaned, "So Uh… we're in the same geometry class right?"

"We are?", Maggie's lip curled up at him.

His face fell a fraction, "Yeah… all year actually but um, do you want to study for it? Sometime?... when you're free?"

She frowned at him, before shrugging, "Yeah, sure"

His eyes lit up, "Oh great"

Michonne jumped as Rick slumped down as he sat down next to her, facing away from the table. She instantly saw he was in an annoyed mood as he leaned back against the table.

"What happened?" She quieted, her eyes darting all over the side of his face.

"Mike's mom came in and told them what happened, she said she's pressing charges against Shane and Mrs Niedermeyer's calling our parents, she wants to arrange for us to have a talk..." He rolled his eyes, keeping his gaze elsewhere.

Michonne wanted to groan, but decided against it, "Talk to your parents later. It's better to have a meeting with his mom than a meeting with police"

He finally looked at her, biting his lip as he nodded.

She reached under the table and grabbed her backpack, searching through it as she put it on her lap. She pulled out the little foil wrapped chocolate and held it out to him.

He stared at it, his brow beginning to furrow as he smiled. He took it from her and opened it up, "You and your chocolates"

She nodded as she watched him take a bite and pass the other half back to her, "Prom's coming up"

He pulled a face as he chewed.

"I want us to go"

He stopped chewing and stared at her.

She popped the remaining piece in her mouth as she stared back.

He sighed as he sat forward, resting on his knees, "Alright"

"It will be fun"

"Are you asking me?," He grinned at her as he sat back again, making her body tingle.

"Maybe…", She teased as she tried to control her smile, trying to keep her attention on the tray in front of her.

He nudged her gently, causing her to look up at him. His eyes seemed to be glowing as he drank her in, and she felt herself being drawn to him in a new way. She couldn't describe the feeling she was experiencing, but she knew she liked it.

"Hey!"

Both of them whipped their heads to face the table as their friends were all stood, looking at them strangely.

"Uh… lunch is over", Glenn finally spoke.

Michonne quickly got up and Rick followed. While she wasn't ashamed of her new relationship with Rick, she wasn't sure how to tell their friends, and if he wanted to tell his friends, considering she was his first girlfriend. She pondered how he felt about it all, even though he was the one that confessed his feelings to her, she couldn't help but question if he was really ready for the new territory.

….

"Michonne?"

"Come in"

Michonne looked at the bedroom door as Rick's mother came in. She smiled at her as she stepped further into the room.

"Sorry to disturb you while you're studying", His mother's eyes scanned all over the school books laid out on the bed, "I just wanted to ask if you knew where Rick was?"

Michonne winced, "Not really, he's out with his friends, but he should be back soon?"

"Great", His mother sighed, putting her hands on her hips, "We got a call from the principal. She told us what had happened and we were hoping to talk to him about it"

She was unsure of what to say, so instead chose to just watch her boyfriend's mother.

"I know I shouldn't be surprised. He's always out, and he hasn't got a job so I could only imagine what he's getting up to", His mother sat down on the desk chair, not far from the bed, "He's always been such a little tear away. As soon as he gets somethan' in his mind, he just has to do it or else he'll implode"

Michonne couldn't disagree with that, "Yeah…"

"I used to just chalk it up to boys being boys but…" She stopped herself, shaking her head as she looked at Michonne, "We'll just grill him when he gets back"

The sound of the front door closing drew them both to look towards the bedroom door. His mother huffed as she rose from the desk chair.

Michonne gave her a sympathetic look before the older woman walked out the room, leaving Michonne to sit and listen as she went to find her son in the home.

She questioned what his mother was thinking when she spoke to her. Michonne hadn't seen Rick interact with his mother for years, but she did remember her being very busy with work and she knew Rick resented her for that. He was dismissive whenever he referred to his mother in their earlier teenage years, but he was slowly becoming more forgiving. Michonne was glad to see that, as both his parents obviously cared about him.

Her thoughts travelled to her own parents, as she would have to speak to them about the request they made. She found the more she thought about them, the more she began to hate them for using Rick and her education against her. She suspected her mother was the one that had talked her father into figuring out something to offer, because her father seemed content to just let her leave. She struggled to understand her parents need for her to marry so young and to someone she'd never even met, though she did understand that her parents had done the same, so they were expecting her to follow.

"So how'd it go?"

Rick laid back in the bed, his arm outstretched as he waited for her to join him. She did, still waiting for his reply.

"Pretty shitty. They're both mad but, they want to come to some sort agreement with Shane's parents before we see Mike's mom"

"Oh okay… what kind of agreement?"

"Since I gave Shane the lighter… and the firework… and he threw it, we split the cost of his car, and agree to stay away from each other"

She slowly nodded in agreement, "That's not too bad right?"

"Yeah I guess…", He shrugged and pulled a face, before turning to her, "Hey, you know Glenn likes Maggie?"

She smirked, "Yeah, he does. Shane was asking me about Lori the other night too"

Rick's scowled, "Oh god, no. Not her"

"Hey! What's wrong with Lori?", She urged as she leaned on her forearm to look down at him.

"She's always judging me. I know she is, I can see it in her eyes", He argued.

"No she's not, that's literally just her face"

"No it's not. She looks at me like I'm something stuck to the bottom of her shoe-"

"She's just cripplingly shy"

He pursed his lips as he frowned at her.

She smiled innocently, before leaning down and kissing him softly. She had always suspected that he was a good kisser, and he didn't fail to prove her right. She loved the way his tongue moved around her mouth, and how his lips covered hers. It ignited a familiar feeling within her, the same feeling she felt when she looked at him too long, and she couldn't help but mount him. His hands gripped her waist just when there was less than an inch of space between them, and he lifted her slightly.

"What?", She asked as she broke the kiss, pulling back to look at him.

His eyes snapped shut, "You… you don't want to do that just yet"

She frowned at his lids, "Why not? We're just kissing"

"No", His eyes opened, "It's not just kissing. I know myself, and I know that I love kissing you, and I know if you start doing… that, then it's just gonna wake something in me that I'm trying to hold back for a while"

She blinked at him, "So we can't kiss?"

"Of course we can… just, positions like this…"

His eyes darted down between then, and stayed there for a moment, before he tore them away.

"Would it be bad if things went further?"

He sighed, "Not at all. But I don't want you to feel like… it's somethan' that needs to happen"

A part of her was quite surprised he felt that way, given his past, she'd expected him to be more willing to participate.

She slowly nodded in agreement as she sat down on him, "I get it"

He gripped her hips again and pulled her off him, hissing as he did, "Don't.. do that"

She huffed and laid down, "Sorry"

He wrapped his arm around her waist and she snuggled up against him. While she did understand his reservations, she couldn't help but be slightly disappointed. She'd never felt so comfortable to engage in some sort of sexual activity and she wanted to do more with him, but she relented. She knew it wouldn't be long before he caved.

….

"This one?"

"Uh… No… it's too… just no. Thanks"

Michonne looked over the dresses hung on the wall. She was unsure of what she wanted, but knew well enough that it wasn't some of the dresses that she could see.

"Uh… how about-"

"Can I help you girls?"

Sasha and Michonne both looked towards the sales assistant, who stood a foot away for them smiling.

"Yeah actually, I'm looking for something… simple, pretty...but a little mature? If that make sense?"

The woman nodded as she turned her attentions to Michonne, "It does, not too much detail, but enough to make your dates jaw drop. I got it. Come on, over here"

The two teens followed her to the other side of the store. Michonne was also hoping to find something reasonably priced, as they had already spent money on tickets, their graduation attire, Rick had yet to even look at a suit and they also had the added expense of Mike's car looming over their heads, so she didn't want to throw any more money away.

"This one-"

"Is perfect", Michonne grinned as she took in the white gown.

"It is", Sasha chimed as she nudged her, "Try it on"

The sales assistant carried the dress over to the changing rooms, allowing Michonne changed and Sasha sat outside the door.

"So did you ask Daryl?"

"Yeah… He didn't want to go at first but he agreed to come"

"Aww-"

"He wants to take me out this weekend. On a date somewhere. Said it was a surprise"

"What do you think it is?" Michonne almost fell over as she pulled her jeans off.

"As long as his brother isn't involved, I really don't mind"

She chuckled, "Yeah, I get it"

"So you and Rick are going together?"

She looked at the door of the changing room, as if she could see her friend, "Yeah we are"

"But what if he wants to run off with some girl? That wouldn't be fair"

Michonne grimaced, as she stepped in to the dress, "Well I would hope not… since I'm his girlfriend and all…"

Sasha was silent. So silent, Michonne was about to question if she even heard her, but then she heard Sasha move around on the floor, and was shocked to see her friend stick her head underneath the changing room door.

"Excuse me?", Sasha asked as she looked up at her, frowning as she did.

Michonne squinted at her, taking in her unusual position, "Yeah…"

"Since when?!"

"...The weekend?"

"So you're like, finally official?"

"Yeah…", She held the dress to her chest as she smiled.

"Aww! It's about time! I was wondering how long it would take for you to realise you don't act like friends", Sasha rolled her eyes, "You two have made me feel awkward so many times"

"Really? Why?"

"Because you're always looking at each other with these big puppy dog eyes and he's always kissing on you! And you were always like 'we're best friends'... meanwhile he was out fighting any guy that liked you, it was just weird"

Michonne tilted her head at her, "Is that how it looked?"

"Uh..Yes!"

She winced at her, "That does sound kind of strange… but It was just… that's how we were.. well are...you know?"

"Oh, I know", Sasha shook her head as she manoeuvred herself from beneath the stall door, "The dress looks great by the way!"


	12. Chapter 12

"…Before we part ways, I would like the three of you to clear the air. I know none of us want a repeat of this incident, or the previous fights you've all had. So, talk"

Rick looked from his mother, to Shane, then Mike, who sat glaring at him from across the dining room table.

"Well, to be honest, I had a problem with you because you had a problem with my best friend", Shane shrugged.

All the parents looked at Mike.

He frowned, "I had a problem with him because he kept interfering in my relationship"

The parents all looked to Rick.

Rick sat staring at Mike for a moment before sighing, "I wasn't interfering, you just didn't like that I was close to Michonne-"

"You were calling her stupid names, always calling her over when I was with her, you even got her name tattooed on you while I was with her!", Mike leaned forward, looking at Rick disbelievingly.

The parents all looked wide eyed at Rick. His mother's jaw hung as her eyes darted up and down her son.

Rick groaned as he looked to her, "I'll explain that later"

Her chest slowly rose, as if she was trying to calm an outburst, though she nodded in agreement.

He turned back to Mike, "Alright, I was a little bit of an ass-... Jerk. I was a jerk. But so were you, so let's just agree on that and call it even"

Mike glared at him.

"We won't bother you and you won't bother us. Simple", Shane shrugged again.

The parents looked to Mike. He wore a pensive expression, his finger tapping on the varnished wood table. Rick was about to sigh again when Mike nodded in agreement.

"Okay? So we all agree? No contact at all?", Shane's mother stressed as she looked at her son.

"Yeah" The three teens all answered dryly.

"Good" Mike's mother looked slightly more pleased than she did when they first arrived at their house.

While Rick was glad to leave his old nemesis's home, he was dreading speaking to his mother afterward. He had had a reasonably good day, he completed all his tests in school without wanting to fall asleep, he bought his suit for the prom, he even managed to squeeze in some time to joyride with his friends before arriving at Mike's, so he really just wanted to go home and spend time with Michonne. Though his mother had other ideas.

"You have a tattoo?"

Rick sighed, "Yep."

"Of Michonne's name…"

"Yep."

"What on earth possessed you too-"

"I wanted it, so I got it. It was literally that simple"

"You do realise-"

"It's permanent? Yeah. That's the whole idea"

His mother stared at him from across the kitchen counter, "Rick-"

"I know what you're gonna say, but it's already done so...", He threw his hands up in the air as he walked out the kitchen, "Night mom"

He almost ran up the stairs so she wouldn't call him back.

"Hey"

Michonne smiled at him from his bed, where Rocky was hoping all over his sheets, "How'd it go?"

He locked his door and nodded, "Pretty good. His mom hates us, but we expected that"

"Yeah…"

He changed into his sweatpants before climbing into bed with her, "You know Sasha asked Daryl to prom?"

She stroked Rocky on her back as she smirked, "Yeah. They're cute together"

"Yeah… my mom knows about the tattoo by the way"

She raised her eyebrows as she looked down at him, "How?...Mike?"

"Yep"

She groaned as she let Rocky hop off her lap and on to the floor, "What did she say?"

He shrugged, "Not much. Didn't really give her a chance to"

"Are you going to tell them about us?"

His eyes slid from the ceiling to her, and he repositioned his head to face her, "You want to?"

She raised her eyebrows at him again, "It's really up to you. They're your parents, you know how they'd react"

"Yeah… maybe... we'll think about it"

"Alright"

"I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow... We're picking up Lori"

He groaned and pulled a pillow over his face.

"I knew you wouldn't mind"

…

"Aren't you gonna miss me Mrs Niedermeyer?"

"God no! I can't wait to see the back of you!"

Rick's jaw dropped open as he stood staring at the Principal.

"Even if you failed all your classes, I would have made sure you got the hell out of here, one way or another"

He gave her his best unimpressed look.

"I've told you plenty times before, you're smart and I hope, I just hope that one day you actually think about something, long and hard, before you actually do it. Now for the last time, get out of my office Grimes!"

He shook his head as he turned to leave, "I honestly thought we had a bond Mrs Niedermeyer-"

"Out!"

Rick walked down the school hall feeling nostalgic. He never thought he'd miss his the building, but it was strange to think he wouldn't be spending a majority of his time there anymore. He decided to go to the area he loved the most, the wall.

"Hey Rick"

His looked over his shoulder to see Jessie approaching him with a large smile.

"Hey Jessie", He couldn't help but scan the area quickly, as he didn't want to be caught talking to her.

"So we're all done!"

"Yeah… we are" He slowly began walking with her towards the front doors of the school.

"So… What's the plan after prom?"

A strange sound almost escaped his mouth, "Uh, I don't actually know. We haven't talked about it"

"Oh okay… well who are you going with? I mean I'm going with Pete...He asked me but, if you wanna hang out then I can ditch him-"

"I have a girlfriend Jessie", While it felt good to say it out loud, he hoped he didn't sound too harsh.

Her eyes sprang open as her steps faltered, "Oh… Oh really?"

He bit his lip as he nodded, holding the door open for her as she walked through.

"Well…I guess I can figure out who she is...but I thought you weren't ready relationship? You said you wouldn't make a good boyfriend?", She squinted at him.

A small groan left him, and he continued to look ahead, "You think you'd make a good girlfriend to someone you didn't want to be with?"

Her head jerked back at his reply, and she looked everywhere else but at him. He usually didn't like to be so harsh when it came to letting girls down, but he took his relationship seriously, and he wanted to make that message clear.

"Well I gotta go"

Rick didn't bother to say goodbye, as she was already walking away from him. He knew he'd be put in at least one more awkward situation before he left the premises. He released a long sigh and headed over to the wall, where his friends were already sitting around, and his mood instantly changed when he saw Michonne laughing with Shane.

"Hey man! I was just telling Cha-Cha here about the time we almost gave Mrs Maryhill a heart attack when we ran across her lawn naked"

Rick's smile dropped as he looked at Shane, "Alright first, don't ever call her that again. And second, don't ever tell that story again"

Michonne and Shane side eyed each other before they burst out laughing. Michonne rubbed Rick's arm as she did.

"See, I told you he'd get all serious if I called you that", Shane grinned at the two of them.

Rick sighed as he said dryly, "Funny"

She rested her head on his shoulder, "Don't be like that"

He looked down at her and his heart melted as she smiled at him.

"We leave at eight so you have to be home at six the latest okay?", She planted herself in front of him as she handed out instructions.

"So that leaves me… five and a half hours to do what I want", He grinned his devilish grin at her.

"Yep… after you drop me home"

"Yes, Cha-Cha"

….

"Oh look at you! You look so handsome! Oh wait, come here-"

"Leave it, mom"

Rick tried to bat his mother away but she was stronger than he originally thought. His father stood taking pictures of them both as they battled it out at the bottom of the stairs. He rarely took interest in wearing a suit, he always thought it was too formal and restrictive, but he couldn't deny that he felt good.

"Oh well, don't you look beautiful!"

He and his mother stopped to watch Michonne walk down the steps. Rick's heart was in his throat as he scanned her from head to toe.

"Oh! Frank get a picture of her!"

Rick tuned his mother's voice out so he could focus purely on his girlfriend. She looked like a dream as she smiled nervously at them, wearing a white strapless form fitting dress. Rick easily pictured her walking towards him as if it were their wedding day. He was speechless.

After being forced to withstand countless pictures, they were finally freed from his home. He just wanted to gaze at her in peace, though his attention was divided dangerously between Michonne and the road.

"You look great"

"I look great? Have you seen yourself?"

"Oh stop", She smiled as she nudged him..

"Don't do that, you're gonna make me crash"

The two of them laughed as they began their journey to pick up the rest of their friends. Rick almost regretted not wanting to go to prom in the first place. The way Michonne was dressed enticed him greatly, and he didn't think that was possible, as he always loved how she looked any time of day.

….

"You haven't danced with me"

He lip curled as he frowned, "Sorry"

"No you're not", She huffed as she sat down beside him.

She was right, he wasn't. He slipped his hand around her waist and pulled her closer to him, "You've been dancing all night, aren't you tired?"

"No."

He smiled and rested his head against hers, his lips brushing her ear, "You know I don't like dancing"

She turned and looked at him, her eyes glistening from the lights around them. He was losing himself as he gazed at her, and he didn't mind. She reached up and rested her hand on his neck, her thumb stroking his jaw. His body stirred at the contact.

"Michonne-"

"Let's get a room"

He felt as if the music stopped and it was only the two of them in the hall. His eyebrows slowly rose, as his eyes stayed locked on hers, a wave of pressure crashing over him.

"...you want-"

"I do".

She was eerily calm about her request, which made Rick wonder how long she had been thinking about it. He didn't move, he just stared at her for a while as he tried to gather himself.

"Do you realise-"

"Yes. I do"

She stood from her seat, holding out her hand to him and he took it without even thinking about it. She led them to the exit, and he complacently followed. His mind was racing, he questioned if he should talk her out of what they were doing. He didn't want her to feel pressured into having sex with him, though, truth be told, his will to uphold his original decision was becoming non-existent. Once he got them a room, they made their way to the elevator.

Rick stood quietly in the elevator, his eyes straight ahead, his mind racing.

Michonne giggled and planted herself in front of him. She tilted her head to kiss his cheek, softly, making her way along his jaw. He closed his eyes as he basked in her touch, resting his hands on her hips.

Somewhere between leaving the elevator and reaching the room, his need to talk to her vanished. As soon as they closed the door, his suit jacket was off and he all but lunged at her, kissing her feverishly as they made their way to the bed. His fumbled around with the back of her dress, and almost cheered aloud when he finally found the tiny little zip.

Rick remembered a time when Michonne was climbing into his bed at home, wearing a t-shirt dress that wasn't that long, so when she bent over he saw a slither of her cheeks in her pink underwear. It was an image he would revisit sometimes. He came to realise that as much as he appreciated that view, it wasn't anything compared to what he witnessed in that moment.

She wore a tiny little black thong with a black strapless bra, both lace. She stepped out of her dress, and pulled off her heels. Rick's head tilted as his eyes covered every little millimetre of skin.

"You ready?"

He didn't answer her and his eyes didn't leave her as he made quick work of removing his shirt and vest. She crawled into the bed, giving Rick the best view he had ever had, and unhooked her bra. He nearly got himself stuck in his zipper when she did. He felt like he was about to lose his virginity all over again, which he considered desperately ironic. If all his blood hadn't travelled to his member, he would have seen the symbolic side of things.

He took out a condom from his wallet before ridding himself of his pants and boxers, allowing his dick to throb freely. She pulled off her underwear and opened her legs to accommodate him. His hooded eyes snaked their way up and down her body as he moved above her.

He kissed from her mouth to her neck, sucking and biting at her skin when he leaned down, his weight on one of his forearms as he slipped his other hand down to her legs. He traced his fingers up and down her thigh, then over her crotch, instinctively stroking at her lips.

"Are you alright?"

Her eyes fluttered open and focused on him, she nodded.

His eyes were still on hers as gently ran his fingers up her slit, causing her to take a sharp intake of breath.

"Okay?", His eyes scanned her face for answers.

She nodded.

His index finger traced around her clit, "Tell me to stop if you change your mind, okay?"

She nodded, and he slowly slid his finger down to her opening, slipping the tip of his finger inside, causing her hips to tilt. He caught her lips with his as he pushed his finger deeper, but stopped when he heard a small whimper.

"It's okay"

"Are you sure?"

"I am"

He was still very unsure as he continued to finger her slowly. He wanted to explore her, pleasure her the best ways he knew how, but he was treading on new ground, and he wanted to test the waters first.

By the time his fingers were covered in her wetness, she was moaning in his ear, gyrating against his hand and It made him throb in anticipation.

He kissed her cheek before he sat up and removed his index finger from her. After ripping the wrapper, he pulled out the condom and slid it on, still feeling apprehensive about what he was about to do. He leaned over her once he was covered, eye scanning over her face again. His length was aching at the thought of being inside of her but she looked nervous.

"Michonne…"

"I'm ready"

He watched her for a whole minute before nodded as he shifted back to one forearm, and took himself in the other. He gave her a soft, sweet kiss as he aligned himself, then slowly pushed in. He was met with the some small resistance which caused her to gasp, her legs clasping around his waist. He waited, not only to give her a moment to adjust, but also himself.

He rested his forehead against hers as he began to move again, pushing as slowly as he could as she clung to him, a small cry leaving her lips. He only relaxed a fraction when he was completely buried inside her, feeling a mixture of guilt for hurting her, and immense pleasure for how tight she was.

"You okay?"

She nodded again as she bit her lip. He took a deep breath and started moving again, but not as slowly. He felt as if he was only prolonging the pain if he did, and he wanted her to get as much pleasure as he was. Little cries escaped her as he did, and he wished he could tune her out, he wanted to stay focused on not hurting her too much and not releasing himself too quickly.

"It's like you were made for me", he whispered as moved to her neck, sucking on the skin again while he picked up the pace.

He could feel himself being coated in more of her passion, so he was glad they were moving in the right direction.

"Does it still hurt?", He panted into her neck.

"A little", She breathed.

Her voice made him involuntarily thrust harder, forcing her nails to dig into his back.

"Sorry", He kissed along her neck in a way of apology for his lack of control.

He relaxed a further fraction when the cries turned to moans. He moved his hips in a circular motion as he continued to devour her neck and chest. Her fingers combed their way through his hair and he immersed himself in the sounds that left her mouth. His circular motions turned to thrusts and she gasped again.

"Is that alright?"

"Yes", Her voice broke in a way that made his dick jerk inside of her.

He could finally relax completely as relief filled him. He thrust harder, hoping he could make her have an orgasm for her first time. The thought of it made him more determined. He slipped his hand down between her legs, finding her bud again, and rubbing in quick clockwise movements. Her back arched as she released a guttural moan. He was losing his focus again.

Her breathing changed as her nails almost pierced his skin. He sucked on her neck when he felt her walls tighten around him, causing him to lose himself too, he didn't think she could get any tighter. His movements faltered, his shaft pulsed as he came hard inside of her. He never knew feeling a girl come undone could be so sensational, but it was.

He lay on top of her, trying to gather himself, but he was spent. Very well spent.

He rose his head to look at her, "You okay?"

A small smile tugged on the corner of her lips, "Yeah"

He felt like he deserved a badge of honour, "You liked it?"

"Yeah… it was better than I imagined"

He had never been more proud of himself. He dropped his head again and kissed along her cheek, experiencing a new level of happiness that he never thought was possible.


	13. Chapter 13

"Where'd you go?! We were looking for you!"

Michonne would have blushed if it wasn't for dark complexion. She tucked her hair behind her ear, "Just went to look around with Rick"

"Come on, let's go take pictures by the fountain"

Sasha took her hand and she followed her friends out to the front. She knew Rick had gone out there when they parted ways only moments before hand. Truth be told, she didn't want to leave him, she didn't want to leave the bed, she would have stayed there with him all night if he'd wanted, but the night was still young so they agreed to go enjoy themselves with their friends.

When she saw him stood smoking with his friends, she felt a warmth radiated through her. While she was more than relaxed about what they done, she couldn't help but feel a little bashful. She was amazed at how attentive and loving he was with her. She admired him as she lay beneath him, enthralled with how beautiful he was inside and out. She knew she'd always loved him, but she was encountering a different kind of love towards him with each passing day.

"Michonne!"

Paula came over to join her from the other teens and gave her a hug, "You look great!"

"Thanks, so do you", Michonne beamed, caught a little off guard by her gesture but knew that Paula had no concept of personal space. She turned to Maggie and Lori, "Girls, this is Paula, Paula meet Maggie and Lori"

They all gave each other quick little friendly waves.

"After party at Gareth's house, you in?", Paula asked with a grin.

"Uh… Yeah sure, why not?"

"Yes!", She turned to the other girls, "What about you girls?"

Sasha nodded, "Sure"

Maggie looked to Michonne and Sasha before slowly nodding too, "Count me in then"

Lori stood wide eyed, "Uh… what kind of-"

"It's okay, you'd be with us", Michonne quickly assured.

She blinked at the four of them, then quickly nodded, "Okay… but I can't get home too late"

"We'll take you home when you're ready. Promise"

…

"This is Gareth's house?"

Michonne's eyes scanned along the second floor of the mansion, trying to guess how many bedrooms the home had. Rick took her hand and tugged it to get her to walk, and she reluctantly followed, as she wanted to admire it for a little longer.

A base line could be heard from outside as they walked towards the front door, where groups of students where stood around enjoying themselves. Paula took the lead, looking back at the others as she signalled which way to go.

The home was like something out of the Victorian era, with a grand wood varnished staircase, gold rimmed paintings hung on the walls and a large brass chandelier hanging above their heads. In other circumstances, Michonne would have appreciated the chance to see it all.

"If I ever turn to a life of crime, I know where I'm coming to rob first"

She turned and raised her eyebrows at Shane, who in turn, shrugged innocently, "I said _if_ "

After manoeuvring their way through the bodies in the home, they found themselves in the large kitchen, and Paula's eyes lit up when she saw the array of alcohol on the counter top.

Michonne looked to Maggie, who gazed around the room excitedly, while Lori gave the complete opposite impression. She signalled for her nervous friend to come stand with her.

"What do you think?", She asked as she leaned in to her, trying not to shout in her ear.

Lori gave a sceptical look, "It's loud… and busy… I'm struggling to see the appeal"

"Give it a while, we can go dance later if you want?"

Lori glanced around the room as she spoke, "Uh… sure?"

"Shots!", Glenn grinned as he held up the bottle of vodka in one hand and three small glasses in the other.

Lori shook her head hurriedly.

Daryl appeared beside him and took one of the glasses. Michonne thought it over in her head, figuring one wouldn't hurt, as she was coming to like the taste of the drink. Well, she found it bearable at least, so she held out her hand for the other. Glenn's eyes lit up as he handed it to her.

"Michonne…", Rick's tone was more questioning than stern, but she still turned to look him.

"One won't hurt", She tilted her head at him.

His eyes twitched, and he stared at the glass in her hand for a few moments, before straining, "Alright"

Glenn wasted no time filling their glasses, and Michonne ignored Lori's gaping mouth as she threw it back. Her mouth felt as if it burned at first, before numbing as she swallowed it. She grimaced, and so did Glenn, while Daryl looked as if he had just had a sip of water. She wondered if he and Rick had both consumed enough alcohol to leave them unfazed that way.

"Again!"

Maggie appeared beside Michonne and took the glass from her. She wasn't completely surprised at her friend's bold attitude, as she had always been interested in what went on at those kind of parties. She was surprised at the ease her friend had when she drank the small punch of vodka.

"You know what a place like this could use?"

Shane's eyes slowly slid across to Rick's and Michonne could have sworn she saw the moment when they both read each other's minds, as they grinned at each other.

"A good clean", Rick nodded, and the two of them put their plan in action.

Shane disappeared to the other side of the kitchen, while Rick began looking at all the cabinets, before stopping at the dishwasher. He opened it up and looked inside, just as Shane appeared with two bottles of dish soap. He handed one to Rick, and the two off them emptied the bottles inside the machine.

Michonne watched on, as did the others. She knew nothing good could come of the two of them working together, as they both had a troublesome nature. If Shane hadn't thought of the idea first then she was sure Rick would have. While she had never spent time with the two of them together before her birthday, she had heard stories from Rick about their little antics, and she was beginning to see how they fed off each other.

Once they had started the dishwasher, they came back to join the rest, jumping up on the countertop and taking a seat as if nothing had happened.

"We're gonna need to strip once that's starts", Paula wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at Michonne.

"Oh please, you would've stripped anyway", Shane smirked at her.

"Like you're one to talk!"

"She's kidding right?", Lori hissed to Michonne.

Michonne nodded, though she had come to learn that anything was possible with Paula.

"I need the bathroom", Maggie urged as she looked at Michonne.

"Let's go on an adventure!", Paula cheered as she grabbed her hand, "Come on girlies!"

Michonne gave Rick's knee a quick squeeze as she followed the other girls out the room, snaking their way through the home to find a bathroom. They passed numerous couples engrossed in each other, a few drunken conversations and the odd topless male. Michonne made sure to give Lori's hand a reassuring squeeze.

They slipped into one of the many bedrooms and found an en suite, where Maggie ran ahead at the sight of it. Paula began jumping on the bed, while Sasha looked out the window.

"We need to get wasted. I can still feel my face and I hate it," Paula complained as she jumped, "It's prom night, for God sake"

"Who'd you come with?", Michonne asked her.

"Oh, that weirdo Carter, only because he kept bugging me, and his dad's limo company serve champagne in their cars"

Michonne nodded, as if she found the reason plausible.

"What about you? You went with Rick right?"

"Yeah I did"

"Cute. I knew he was your boyfriend", Paula cackled as she plopped down in a seating position.

Sasha's eye widened at Michonne from across the room, while Lori tilted her head at her, her eyes scanning her face.

"Uh…."

"Jessie told me. He told her", Paula shrugged, "No big deal though right? Like who would actually be surprised?"

"Me", Lori huffed as she shook her head, "You didn't tell us!"

"Tell us what?", Maggie asked when she stepped out the bathroom adjusting her dress.

"Rick and Michonne", Lori answered, her eyes still on Michonne, "They're together"

Maggie's jaw dropped open, "No freaking way! Why didn't you tell us?"

"Well, I told Sasha… I was going to tell you two but I just didn't know when"

Both girls looked at Sasha, who threw her hands up in surrender, "I've only known for like, _two_ days"

"It's sweet, right?", Paula giggled, standing from the bed and walking to the door, "Come on, let the single girls find some cute boys to kiss!"

Michonne pulled along a shocked Lori, while Maggie and Sasha followed behind them. She did wish her other two friends hadn't found out that way, though she did wondered what happened with Rick to tell Jessie, and why he hadn't mentioned it to her. She didn't even know when he had seen Jessie, but she tried not to dwell on the fresh information she received. She was having an amazing night with him and she didn't to ruin that.

"My shoes!"

The teens cry ripped through the kitchen as the five girls arrived back in the Kitchen. Everyone in the areas of the dishwasher looked down, and began stepping backwards, very confused.

Michonne watched Rick, Shane, Glenn and Daryl chuckled as they went towards it, scooping up the bubbles and sending suds at the nearby crowd. The others quickly caught on and began playing with the bubbles too. Paula and Maggie quickly ran over and joined them.

Rick's eyes found Michonne, and he curled his finger at her, his eyes flashing with amusement. She shook her head as smiled, lifting her dress so it wouldn't get covered in the dish soap, even though it was pointless, he wasted no time covering her in bubbles. She was sure to return the favour. Daryl opened the dishwasher and a stream of suds poured out, covering his calves as he reached for extra ammo. Michonne grabbed Lori, who attempted to stand and watch from the side-lines, and allowed the boys to cover her head to toe. She was happy to see her friend laugh, even though she was shocked at first.

"I guess I can't wear this again", Michonne laughed as Rick put her on the counter.

"You can", He smiled, his hair sticking to his forehead.

"Where? On one of your little adventures?"

"...No, on our wedding day"

Michonne stared at him, the smile she wore slowly fading away, "Wh-what?"

"I wanna marry you", His expression didn't change, his eyes were warm, and both hands rested on her knees.

She was dumbstruck for only a moment, then questions quickly piled up in her head, "You want to get married?"

"I do. To you"

"Rick-"

"I don't want us to run away to Vegas this very moment Michonne, but one day… sooner rather than later… I want to marry you."

"Rick, we haven't even been together for-"

"That doesn't mean anythan'. We've known each other since we were kids, you've always been my number one and seeing you like this today just… it just made me realise what I want. What I want our next goal to be"

His words melted her. Though she wasn't sure how she felt about his request, she adored him, and she adored the fact that he was thinking about their future.

"Okay", her smile returned as she peeled a few strands from his forehead.

"Deal?"

"Deal", She nodded.

They frolicked in the bubbles for a while longer, before leaving the kitchen to dry off and look around the home. Paula dragged them all to the living room, where large speakers were playing unbelievably loud music, and everyone danced. Michonne followed the other girls to the centre of the crowd, and the five of them immersed themselves in the party atmosphere. Michonne wished Rick would dance with her, but she knew he hated to dance, so she left that idea alone.

"Bathroom!"

Michonne took Maggie's hand and they side stepped their way out the crowd again. She looked for Rick on her way out, to let him know where they went but, didn't see him or the other males, so she and Maggie continued on with their journey.

They managed to find a bathroom on the ground floor, after a lengthy search that tested Maggie's bladder. Michonne stood outside the door and waited patiently, her head still bobbing to the beat.

"Oh hey, Michelle"

She looked up from inspecting her nails, and saw Karen stood a foot away from her, with her arms folded across her chest.

"Rick let you off the leash?", She smirked, flicking her curly brown hair over her shoulder.

Michonne shook her head at the insult, "What do you want Karen?"

"Oh look at you! I guess your boyfriend's really rubbing off on you now!", She mocked, "That's cute by the way. You and him? Really? When did that happen because he was in my bed just last week?"

Michonne felt a nauseating sensation cripple her stomach.

"And not long before that either. He's been a regular visitor for a while now actually", Karen gave a theatrical sad face, "Sorry. Did he not tell you? Bad Rick. He's such a naughty boy sometimes, which is ironic because he used to love calling me his naughty girl"

Michonne's blood simmered as the other girl goaded her.

"When I heard the two of you were together, I swear I had to laugh, because it's ridiculous! You're like his little pet! He looks after you like I look after my dog!", Karen cackled again, stepping closer to her, "He will get bored of you quickly. Guys like Rick need something that girls like you can't offer, because girls like you are boring little book worms, and bad boys like Rick need excitement… in and out of the bed-"

Michonne had never been one to handle confrontation well; She rarely ever had disagreements with others as she was polite and others were polite to her. The only other occasion that she could remember was when she was in second grade, and a boy in her class tried to intimidate her into giving over her colouring pens that she brought from home. Rick had quickly put a stop to that.

But she didn't have the advantage of having Rick beside her, as she was stood inches away from Karen. That didn't stop her from tapping into her rage, and slapping Karen in the face, cutting her sentence short. The move shocked Michonne herself.

Karen held her cheek, horrified as she regained her balance. Michonne was sure she heard her growl before she lunged and took a handful of hair in her hands. Michonne yelped but still managed to grab her hair also, and the tug of war began.

"Oh my god!"

"Girl fight!"

Karen pulled her down to the floor and Michonne saw Maggie appear beside them, attempting to loosen Karen's grip on her. Michonne was sure she could feel her hair leaving her roots, so she instinctively started to hit the other girl that was on top of her.

Someone pulled her off as the crowd of people near them let out a collective disappointed groan. Michonne got up, her hands shaking from adrenaline while Karen stumbled to her feet. A set of hands helped Michonne to her feet, and she double took when she saw it was Mike. He shook his head as he took her aside, away from the crowd. Maggie stood a few feet away from them with wide eyes.

"What was that Michonne? I saw you slap her", He frowned at her, pointing towards the bathroom.

She sighed as she looked down at the rip in her dress, "Mike, I'm not your concern anymore-"

"It's to do with him right? You're going to parties and fighting with other girls because of him? She's one of his little groupies-"

"Mike, please-"

"He's no good! When are you going to see that? Look how you're acting and it's all because of him! You wouldn't even be here if-"

"You don't know him!", She snapped back acting him with angry eyes.

"I don't need to! This is the same asshole that took you from your parents and blew up my car! He's bad news and you're following after him like some-"

"And you're such a saint aren't you? You had great control of your temper?", She crossed her arms as she squinted at him.

"I didn't drag you to parties though, did I? Or bring you around these girls-"

"Rick doesn't drag me anywhere! And- wait, why am I even explaining this to you?" She threw her hands up in the air in exasperation, "I am none of your business and neither is he-"

"You really have changed", Mike took a step back and looked her up and down, "And you don't even see it do you?"

"That is not a bad thing! And why do you care? I mean thanks for breaking up the fight but that's it! We have nothing else to talk about!"

Mike raised his eyebrows at her, and opened his mouth to say something, when his eyes darted up behind her, and his demeanour changed. She looked over her shoulder, and saw why, as Rick approached the two of them.

"I have to go" She dismissed the conversation, and attempted to fix her hair as she met Rick halfway in the hallway.

"What did he want?", Rick asked, though he kept his eyes on Mike.

"Nothing", She shook her head, "Let's go, please"

He frowned down at her, his eyes darting all over her, "What happened?"

She huffed and smoothed her hair back, "Rick, please. I just want to get away from this area-"

"It was you that had a fight?", His leaned forward disbelievingly, "With who? What the hell happened?"

She groaned as she felt herself getting frustrated again, "Yes! With one of your little groupies! I smacked Karen in the face after she told me she was just with you last week and that you used to call her your naughty girl-"

He groaned as he looked over his shoulder, "Nothing happened when I saw her-"

"Was it the same night you came to me that morning?", Her eyes searched his face as looked back at her.

He cringed, "It was… but nothing happened with her, we got close-"

"How close?"

He pursed his lips, his eyes dropping to her shoulder, "We didn't have sex. I stopped it and I got out of there… and went straight to you"

She sighed as she looked away from him, "I guess I should feel special, right?"

His brow began to furrow, and he watched her with anticipation written all over his face.

"First Jessie, then her, anyone else I should know about?", She scoffed, "Of course they're plenty more I should know about! They seem to love to come and rub it in my face that they've all fucked you-"

"Don't talk like that Michonne, I don't like it", His voice was stern as he stepped closer to her.

"What does it matter! It doesn't make any difference! It still happened right? You've still slept with a hell of a lot of girls and for some reason It's all coming back to bite me in the ass-"

"You know I wouldn't let any of that happen-"

"It doesn't matter! It's the fact that it can happen!", She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples as she stepped away from him, "I don't want to have to worry about your conquests cornering me at any chance they get-"

"They won't-"

"You can't stop that!" She snapped at him, tears brimming in her eyes. She couldn't describe how she was feeling, but she knew it wasn't good, "I feel like I'm just another notch on your belt…"

His face fell as he took a small step back, "What?"

"Did earlier even mean anything to you? Or was it just like you were going through the motions?"

His frown returned, and he stepped forward, invading her space again, "Do you regret it?"

Her eyes only stayed locked on his for a moment, before dropping to his still damp shirt. She sighed, "I want to go"

"Answer me", He demanded, his voice low.

Her eyes didn't budge, "I don't know right now"

His head dropped, and he rubbed the back of his neck.

She side stepped around him, and walked back down the hall. Her dress felt heavy against her, and she only had a chance to lift it from the floor when she left the home.

Tears were burning her eyes but she did everything she could to not let them fall. She was just as angry as she was hurt, but mainly at herself. She knew about Rick's encounters, it wasn't news to her, though she hated how it always made her feel. She dreaded to think that every time she enjoyed herself with him, there would be one of his previous rendezvous along to ruin it.

She was waiting by is car when he finally came outside. She chose not to look at him, purely because she knew the tears she was fighting back would break free.

He slammed his car door when he got in, and she continued to look the other way. They drove in silence, though the tension was deafening.

By the time they arrived back at the hotel, she was grateful to get out the car. He seemed to get more annoyed with every passing minute. She walked up the drive, knowing he was still in the vehicle. She realized he was waiting for her to go in the building before he'd leave, as he liked to distract himself whenever he was angry, so he wouldn't follow her up to their room. She heard him speed off when she reached the lobby, and her tears finally fell.


	14. Chapter 14

"Your girlfriend owes me and apology"

Rick slammed his car door shut and looked Karen from head to toe, "Run that by me again?"

"I said", She crossed her arms, "Your girl-"

"Yeah, I thought that's what you said", He smirked, "Karen, I don't know what's going through your mind, in fact I don't I even wanna know, but I'm going to say this once-"

"She slapped me!" Karen protested.

"I'm going to say this once", Rick enforced, his eyes locked on hers, "I told you I'm sorry about what happened between us, and I meant it. I honestly I meant it at the time, but obviously you must have heard somethan' else come out of my mouth, because for some strange reason you felt as though you had to say somethan' to Michonne-"

"All I asked her was where were you!", She protested.

He squinted at her, "That's all you asked?"

"Yes! I asked her where you were and she must have been drunk or something because she just started going crazy-"

A disbelieving chuckle burst from his lips, "Really? That's what happened?"

"Yes", She spat at as she put both hands on her hips.

"Michonne just started going crazy huh?", He shook his head, still smiling, "She's not like you. She ain't crazy, she doesn't go around slapping people, and for her to even do that, you must have said somethan' really spiteful, so I don't believe that little bullshit story of yours"

Her mouth dropped open, "Wha-"

He raised his hand to stop her, "Don't talk to Michonne. Don't talk to me either, but more importantly, don't talk to her-"

"Are you being-"

"Does it look like I'm playing games here?", He tilted his head at her.

"You're letting her get between us?-", Karen frowned at him.

"What 'us'? When was there an 'us'?", He winced at her, "I fucked up with you, I did. Everythan' that happened between us, shouldn't have, and I told you I'm sorry for that, but if you want to take that out on anyone then I'm your target… but you don't talk to Michonne. You don't say a damn word to her".

She pursed her lips as she took a step back.

"Glad we could have this talk Karen", He sighed as he walked past her, "Have a nice life".

He hoped the warning stuck, as he didn't want to have the conversation again. He didn't even want to talk to her again. He wished for the opportunity to travel back in time and avoid her at all costs but sadly, he wasn't in a position to have that pleasure.

"Where'd you go?"

"Just dropped Michonne at the hotel", Rick took the cup from Shane's hand and drained it.

His friend eyed him suspiciously for a few seconds, before deciding not to pry, "Alright"

"Where's her friend…", Rick stopped looking around the room when he saw Lori dancing wildly, "Is she?"

"Yep. Wasted" Shane sighed as he shook his head, "You know she turned me down? I asked her out and she said I'm too wild. Look at her now!"

Rick squinted at Lori, "I really wanna look away... but I can't"

"Now you know how I feel. Poor thing can't dance for shit" Shane shook his head.

"We can't take her home like that" Rick's eyes widened at the thought.

"What should we do with her?"

"She needs to sober up", Rick insisted as he chucked the empty cup over his shoulder and made his way over to her.

It took him a moment to grab her arm, as she was swinging them around recklessly. She grinned at him when he finally caught her.

"Let's get you somewhere… else", He encouraged as he tugged her away. Shane began to walk out the room while he guided the intoxicated teen.

"The party was just getting started!", Lori complained.

"Oh, I'm sure it was", Rick mumbled.

They stepped out front, where Sasha and Daryl were sat on the front steps talking. Rick envied them as they smiled at each other, having their own private conversation. He sat Lori down away from them, and he and Shane stood together, staring at her.

"What happened to her?", Sasha asked, when she noticed them.

"Drunk", Shane and Rick both answered dryly.

"I am not-", Lori's sentence was cut short by a hiccup.

"What?", Sasha quickly rose from her seat and joined her friend on the other side of the steps, "Her dad will kill her if he-"

"We know. We need to sober her up", Rick sighed as he dragged his hand over his face.

"How?"

Before either of them could say anything else, Lori heaved, and both Rick and Shane took a step back, knowing what was coming. A second later, she projectile vomited on the step in front of her. Sasha watched with wide eyes.

"Well… that does help", Shane shrugged.

Rick sighed, "It does"

"There you guys are...oh", Maggie appeared at the top of the steps, beside Glenn. Her hair was a mess and Glenn looked completely dishevelled. Rick raised an eyebrow at the two of them.

"...Let's get her home"

…

Once Sasha and Maggie helped Lori get cleaned up, Rick drove her home, and both Maggie and Glenn. He had wanted to go when he initially dropped Michonne off, but he knew she promised to get Lori back to her house, so he made sure he did.

He couldn't believe how badly the night had ended for them, when it had started off perfectly. He was mad at himself for not staying with her, though he knew she wouldn't have wanted that.

He didn't want her to regret her moment with him, he didn't want her to regret anything that had happened between the two of them entirely. He'd be beyond hurt if she did, as in his mind he was planning to marry her whenever he had the chance.

It never occurred to him that his careless sex life would be a problem for her. It was something that he tried his best to keep away from her, though he knew that once word got around that the two of them were together, there would be a few girls who wouldn't take that information lightly. He made a mental note to try to at least make a list of potential problems, once he'd remember their names.

When he arrived back at the hotel, he stood outside their room door staring at it, before finally knocking, as she had the key. He waited for what felt like eternity, when she opened it, with her eyes low. She stepped away, wearing a bathrobe and headed back to the bed, while he shut the door and began peeling off his shirt.

She pulled the sheets over her legs and laid down, "We have to check out at noon"

He looked over his shoulder at her back, frowning in disbelief, "That's all you're gonna say to me?"

She didn't say anything.

"Michonne?", He turned to face her.

She sighed and sat up, "What do you want me to say Rick?"

"I want you to talk to me" He threw both hands in the air, "What the hell happened here? I don't understand, so I need you to explain to me why there's even a chance that you might regret us sleeping together when it was your idea, you told me you were ready-"

"That's not why I'm questioning it Rick"

"Then tell me", He threw his shirt on the desk chair, before placing himself in front of her, "What did I do wrong?"

"You didn't do anything wrong", She sighed as she smoothed her hair back, "It was just… I couldn't believe what Karen was saying to me, and it made me feel horrible because it was all true-"

"What did she say?"

She frowned, "She basically called me your pet, said you'd get bored of me… and all that over stuff about you being in her bed"

He clenched his jaw as he looked around the room, a new found rage surging through him.

"I just… I hated that someone like her knew that side of you. I'm not stupid Rick, I know you've slept with a lot of girls but… Karen, it's like she wanted to rub my face in it and it wasn't nice. And I know she's just angry and probably upset that she's not with you but It still sucks to hear her talk about you that way"

He sighed as he sat down on the bed beside her, "I warned you about them…"

"I know you did. But I shouldn't have to hide from any of them because I didn't do anything to any of them-"

"That doesn't mean anythan' to them-"

"Yeah… well I learnt that didn't I", Her eyes widened, "Oh my god, Lori"

"She's fine. We took her home… she was drunk but she sobered up a bit… well, enough to remember to sneak into her house"

She relaxed, "Oh good... Thank you"

He frowned at the ground in front of him, "Have you seen her dance before?"

"Uh… No, I don't think so", She shook her head, "Why?"

He winced, "It was like watching one of those shows where they perform surgery, and you don't wanna look but you keep looking anyway"

She bit her bottom lip as she tried not to smile.

"She almost smacked me in the face when I tried to get her"

A snort of laughter left her, and he instantly felt as happy as he did before.

"There's that smile", He pulled her legs over his lap as he turned to face her, "Listen, I know what I've done in the past, and with Karen… I was just mad and I thought I could use the distraction… it was just habit, and the same with the other girls… but it's not the same with you. It will never be the same with you, so don't think it will…"

She nodded as her eyes studied his face.

"Do you regret it?"

She sighed and shook her head, "I don't. I was just angry and I wasn't thinking straight, and I didn't mean to take it out on you and I'm sorry... but I don't. I promise I don't"

"Good", He truly felt relieved, "You love me Cha-Cha?"

"Oh… well this is kind of awkward", She joked as she grimaced, "We've only been together for a week so…"

"You and your games", He sighed as he tickled her.

She squealed and grabbed his hand, "Okay okay, fine… yes… I do love you, Rick…"

His heart sighed, "What do you love about me?"

She tilted her head at him, "You're so pretty"

His grin fell.

She smiled as she leaned forward and kissed him, her hand resting on his neck. He was expecting a soft, romantic kiss, but her tongue ran across his bottom lip before she gently nibbled on it, and his body awakened.

"Wait, just wait a second", He pulled back a inches to look at her, "Are you trying to go for round two?"

Her eyes darted around him, "Well, yeah… Is that a bad thing?"

His member told his brain to _shut up_ , "No, it's definitely not bad… I just want to be sure"

"Oh good", She shrugged as she undid her bathrobe, and his eyes dropped to her bare breasts.

He only admired them for a moment, before quickly stood and ripped his pants and boxers from his lower half, while she removed her underwear and sat waiting for him in the bed. He praised himself for always carrying more than one condom, as previous events had taught him that lesson.

"Lay down..", He instructed as he rolled the protection to the base of his length.

"I want to go on top"

His movements stilled as he looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Oh yeah?"

She nodded.

He watched her, but still proceeded to lay down in the centre of the bed. His eyes drank her in with anticipation as she mounted him, surprised she felt so comfortable to try new positions. He wasn't as confident when he had stumbled in to the world of sexual activity.

"You sure you're ready to-"

He almost choked on his words as she engulfed him quicker than he expected. He looked down at himself, questioning how she was already so wet.

"What?", She gasped as she slowly moved on top of him.

He was hoping to regain some control of himself, but she gave him no opportunity, instead she slowly rolled her hips around his shaft, enjoying the new sensations.

"Oh god", She moaned, slipping her hand down to her down to her folds.

Rick watched her with disbelieving eyes, "Mich-"

"I want you to talk to me"

His mouth dropped open, "You want me to _talk_ to you?"

"I want to hear your voice", She bit her lip as she continued to grind on him.

Rick was shocked to say the least. He would have never expected her to have such a sexual appetite so soon. His attentions were torn between watching her move on top of him, trying to register what she was asking from him, and not coming too soon from how good she felt.

"Who are you?", Was all he could muster as she began to bounce on top of him.

"Oh god, Rick!", She cried as excitement took over her. He wasn't sure what she did but he felt her tighten around him, and it almost made his chest cave.

"Shit!", He cursed, his eyes on her lower half.

She rested her hands on his chest, still bobbing up and down.

"I've created a monster", His hands gripped her thighs in a bid to stop, "Michonne, you need to slow-"

"Ah fuck!", She went back to rolling her hips on his member, her moves more pronounced than previously.

Rick needed her to stop. If she didn't then he wouldn't be able to continue because of his pending heart attack. He summoned all the strength and will he had to grab her hips and lift her off him. Her eyes popped open and she looked down at him, confused.

"What's wrong?", She panted as she smoothed her hair back from her face.

"I'm so glad that you're enjoying yourself", He breathed, "Really, I am, but I'm enjoying this too much, and I'd like it to last"

She frowned at him, "Can't we just do it again after?"

His face fell, "We can if you don't kill me"

She giggled, "Okay… sorry"

"How about I take over…", He insisted as he sat up, and wrapped an arm around her waist. He flipped her over to lay on her back, and was glad he could gain back some control of himself.

He soon learned that, Michonne had other ideas. She crossed her legs around his waist and still moved her hips beneath him, while he cursed her in his mind.

"Yes, Rick!"

He realised the gentle approach he was trying to take with her wasn't good enough. He had woken something in her, and she was demanding more from him. He sat up above her and hooked his hand behind one of her thighs.

"Comfy?"

She nodded.

He sank into her and her eyes rolled back, snapping shut. The first few thrusts were slow, to prepare her, but once he warmed up, he began to pump in and out with urgency. She grabbed hold of one of his bicep, while he made sure to keep his grip on her thigh tight, keeping her in place.

"Fuck!", She cried, her eyes closed tightly.

He was in dangerous territory, as he was ready to come from the moment she started riding him. But his pride wouldn't allow him to crumble just yet. He released her thigh and placed both his hands on the mattress, above her shoulders to lock her in position. He picked up the pace, pounding into her with nothing but determination. A high pitched cry continuously rolled from her lips as she held on to his forearms.

Her back arched when she tightened around him, and he could have thanked her out loud. He didn't know how long he could keep going. Her walls pulsed as she came, and he finally released his own load. He watched her with hooded, tired eyes, while she sighed happily beneath him.

"I think I can get used to this"

He was as happy as he was worried to hear her say that.

…

"I don't want her to go over there on her own"

"Rick, you realise that they are her parents? They haven't hurt her before, have they?"

He huffed as he leaned on the kitchen counter, watching his mother move around the kitchen.

"She just wants to turn down that ridiculous offer they made so she can do that on her own", His mother put down a large salad bowl and looked at him, "Can I ask you somethan'?"

"No."

She ignored him, "I know you and her have been friends for a long time and I think it's sweet and all, but why are you so protective over her? You hover over her a lot"

He shrugged, "I just am"

"...Is there somethan' more there?"

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his mother's prying, "Somethan' more?"

"Well, you went to prom together, and I saw how you were looking at-"

Rick pushed away from the counter and began walking out the kitchen, "I'm gonna go feed Rocky"

"We will talk about this!"

He groaned as he trudged up the stairs. While he knew he would eventually tell his parents, he hoped to tell his dad first, then let him tell his mother. Even though he wasn't opposed to the shift in their relationship, he wasn't ready to start divulging every detail of his life to his her.

However he didn't mind discussing the current situation with Michonne's parents. He found his mother's advice useful for that. After hearing about the offer they had made to her to move back with them, he was afraid they would try to appear more lenient to get her back. It wasn't that he didn't want her to have a good relationship with her parents, he just couldn't imagine them allowing her more freedom, or not forcing her to marry someone from their questionable church.

As soon as he stepped into his room Rocky was on his ankle, her adolescent claws felt like pin pricks against his skin.

"You little shi-"

"Hey! Leave her alone", Michonne scolded as she plucked her off him, "She's just playing"

"With my flesh?"

"She likes you. She senses that the two of you are difficult souls-"

"Please", He snorted as he threw himself down on his bed. He watched her hold the kitten to her chest and stroke under her chin, "Come sit with me"

She stepped over and joined him, still stroking Rocky.

"You nervous about talking to your parents?"

She pulled a face, but didn't look at the him, "Not really. I'm kinda just, not interested anymore…"

He nodded as he listened to her.

"I used to get upset when I thought about them, but now… I just don't really care anymore. I just want to focus on college"

He stopped nodding, "What are you thinking about that?"

She turned to face him, "I think I should live on campus"

He didn't move.

"I know you want me to drive so I can come home every night but that's not ideal, so I thought about it and I still want to drive so then I can come back Friday night… leave Monday morning, so I'd still be with you three nights a week"

He bit the inside of his cheek while he nodded, hoping not to show his disappointment.

"Rick, don't be like that" She insisted as she took his hand in hers, "It won't be like this forever"

He sighed as he looked up at the ceiling, "I know, but it still sucks for now"

"It does, but we can still talk on the phone all night", She smiled as laid her head on his chest, "And I can sneak you in my dorm room"

He smirked, running his fingers through her hair, "Yeah and scare the life out of your roommate"

"Exactly", She chuckled, "We'll be fine. Just don't get into trouble while I'm gone"

He feigned offence, "Well I never-"

"I mean it, Rick", She lifted her head to look at him.

He pouted, "Fine"

"Good".


	15. Chapter 15

"I'm going to stay with Rick and his parents"

Michonne's father's stern expression didn't change, but her mother's eyebrows shot up, her eyes almost bulging out of her head. Michonne would have usually shifted uncomfortably as she sat in front of her parents, but she had reached a point in her life where she no longer feared their words. She no longer felt trapped by their rules.

"That's fine. You may leave my house now", Her father shrugged, raising his hand towards the front door.

Michonne was about to stand, but her mother raised her hand up to her.

"Wait! Now just wait a minute", She insisted, looking back and forth between her husband and my daughter, "It does not need to be this way-"

"You heard her, she's made up her mind. She wants to continue to live the life of the fallen-"

"Michonne", Her mother breathed, "You do not want this. I don't know what that boy has promised you, but his words are worth nothing. We've seen him grow up to be the delinquent he is today and he will do nothing but drag you down-"

"That's not true", Michonne shook her head.

Both her parents' eyes widened at her.

"I do want this… And he hasn't promised me anything", Her eyes roamed around the room, "He'd be the first to tell you he's a pain… but he's not a bad person. I don't think I know anyone who cares about me as much as he does"

Her father shifted in his seat, while the creases in her mother's forehead smoothed.

"We're your parents! We care about you!", Her mother argued, "You think he cares about you more than us?"

Michonne's eyes darted to the space between the two of them, "I know he does"

"What? We are your parents! We raised you! We fed you and we clothed you and we made sure-"

"I know you did all that… but I'm quite sure that's what you're meant to do when you decide to have a child, right?"

Her mother seemed to ignore her, "You are at an age Michonne, where you should be preparing to marry, preparing to be a wife of good worth-"

"Why put so much enthuses on my education if you just wanted me to get married, have children and go to church for the rest of my life?"

Her mother frowned, as if the answer was obvious, "So you didn't get distracted. If your focus was only on school work then you didn't have time to get caught up in any other temptations"

Michonne sighed and shook her head, "Should have known… well I'll see myself out"

"Fredrick!", Her mother hissed anxiously.

"What? Let her go. She's not my daughter anymore"

Michonne wasn't surprised the conversation went the way it did, and in all honest, she was glad to leave, until her mother stopped her at the door.

"Michonne, I want you to just stop for a moment", Her mother urged, crossing her arms over her chest, "I met with Heath. He's a nice young man, and he's in his second year of college so you two would have that in common-"

"I want to marry Rick"

Her mother grabbed her chest as if she'd been hit.

"Not now… or soon for that matter, but I do want to marry him"

Her mother's mouth opened and closed as she thought, "He's not even a member of our church"

Michonne twisted the doorknob, though she still looked at her mother, "Bye"

Her mother quickly approached her, "I do care about you, okay? Don't think that I don't. I do and I always will. I just can't… I can't stand by your choices right now. But… I care"

Michonne didn't know what to say, so she just nodded. She was surprised, to say the least, at her mother's parting words. She had often got the impression that her mother just reinforced whatever her father said, as his word was often final.

She strolled back over to Rick's, choosing not to look back at her parents' home. She failed to see the need to.

"How'd it go?"

Michonne stopped at the stairs as Frank stepped out the living room, "Uh… pretty good? Well I mean, we didn't argue or anything… we talked and I left…"

Frank nodded and looked around the hallway for a moment, "Come sit with me for a second"

She followed him back into the living room, where he had a pile of books sat on the coffee table. He took a seat, and she joined him.

"You know, my parents were very traditional… religious too", He informed as he appeared to be sorting through the books, "My father, believe it or not, was the more lenient of the two, while my mother was a straight as a ruler, nothing got passed her"

Michonne watched him move the books around.

"Rick's mother had the same issue with her parents, so when we had Rick, we were a little too relaxed, because we wanted him to have fun, the kind of fun we didn't have… but now he's a pain in the ass", He shook his head, "A real pain in the ass"

Michonne snickered at his complaint.

"I know you know he is too. But my point is, sometimes parents don't get it right. Most of the time actually. We're meant to mould you into valuable members of society, to lead the next generation, but not everyone values the same thing. Your parents are a lot like my parents, stubborn like mine too, and they're harder to understand because they were moulded to be how our grandparents wanted them"

Michonne nodded in agreement.

"My point is, they've clearly done somethan' right with you because you're a very accepting young woman. Patient. And one day they'll see that even though you're not what they wanted you to be, you're still worth your weight in gold. Just give them time"

She smiled at him and rested her head on his shoulder, "Thank you, Frank"

He gave her a one armed hug, "You are more than welcome"

Rick walked into the room, his eyes darting from the two of them, to the books in the table, "What kinda book club is this?"

Frank shook his head, "You could help you know"

"Nah, you seem to have it all under control", He smirked as he threw himself down on the recliner.

Frank opened his mouth to say something, when his phone rang on the table. Rick caught Michonne's attention and darted his eyes up to the ceiling. She understood the signal, and they both quietly left the room.

"So how'd it go?", Rick asked as he allowed her to walk up the stairs first.

"Just as you'd expect", She answered dryly.

He huffed, "Not great then"

"Nope… but I was able to actually talk to them so I guess it wasn't too bad"

"Baby steps"

"Yeah"

She was about to pick up Rocky once they entered his bedroom, but Rick had other ideas, scooping her up in his arms after he shut the door.

"Let's just stay here for a little while", He grinned, climbing on to his bed.

"Just a little while"

He laid her down and positioned himself over her, and she couldn't help but feel excited. She never imagined that she'd crave for him even more once they had sex. It was all so new and exciting to her, so much so that she found herself easily aroused when he touched her.

She combed her fingers through his hair as she admired him, his trademark grin sending shivers down her spine, "I told my mom I want to marry you"

His excitement at the prospect shone through his eyes, "Really?"

She nodded.

"She weren't happy about that" He raised his eyebrow at her.

"No, she wasn't but it's not up to her"

He slowly inhaled, biting his bottom lip as his next words, "When?"

Her head tilted a fraction, "When what?"

"When can we get married?"

Michonne did her best not to show him how much that question panicked her, "When do you want to?"

He gave her a crooked smile, "I'd do it right now if I could"

His answer warmed her heart and crippled her stomach at the same time. While she was growing confident that she did want to marry him, she didn't see the urgency. He had been her best friend for years and her boyfriend for less than a month, she wanted them to explore the new territory for a little longer.

She knew she had to tread carefully with her words, as she didn't want to dishearten him, "I want us to wait until we have everything together. We already have a lot to focus on right now, so we should take it one step at a time"

His eyes roamed her face as he took her words into consideration, "...We can do that… but it's not like we have to have a big wedding or anythan'..."

"You haven't even told your parents about us", She winced, trying another approach.

He snorted, "I know but I will. I know my mom suspects somethan' so I don't really need to say much"

She nodded, using the new topic to escape the current one, "Have you talked to your dad about working with him yet?"

"Actually, I was thinking about doing somethan' else" He bit his lip, looking apprehensive about the information he was about to pass on.

Her eyebrows rose, "Really? What?"

"I was thinking about enrolling at the police academy, I wanna be a S.W.A.T officer…"

Michonne stared at him, unsure if he was joking or not. It didn't take her long to realise he was serious, "You want to…"

"I do", He nodded, his lips pursed as he watched her reaction.

"That's… I mean it's great that you want to do that, but I didn't even know you were interested?"

"I've been thinking about it for a while. I wasn't really sure about it but it's the first thang I've been interested in since I discovered fireworks", He smirked.

"Seriously I'm glad you found something you want to do…", She slowly began to narrow her eyes at him, "It's not because you get to carry a gun, right?"

He pouted, "Now Cha-Cha, you really think I would-"

"Yes", She deadpanned.

He scoffed, "Alright fine, it has somethan' to do with it, but honestly I think that kind of lifestyle would be good for me. It's exciting and we both know I need excitement"

Michonne didn't know why his choice of words struck a chord with her, but she attempted to shake the feeling off, "Well I'm happy for you"

He grinned at her, "I'm gonna be an officer and you're gonna be a nurse… nurse Cha-Cha"

"I think that title will only be reserved for you"

His eyebrow rose, "I like the sound of that"

"I'm sure you do", She smiled, lifting her head off the mattress to catch his lips with hers.

Her intentions were for a quick, sweet kiss, but, she was developing a problem when it came to touching him. She couldn't help but lace her arms around his neck as she laid back down, a fever simmering within her. Even though she was very aware of his father's presence in the house, she took the chance to wrap her legs around his waist.

Rick groaned and pulled himself away from her, "You can't do that"

She sat up and frowned at him, "What? We're just-"

"No", He shook his head as he climbed off the bed, "No, it's not just kissing, because you start making these little sounds and once you flick that switch, it's hard to turn it off"

She huffed, dropping back on the bed, "Fine"

"I know I have some mileage on me, but you… you're somethan' else…"

She bit her lips together, holding back her smile.

"You need to give me a little warning before we have sex again so I can at least pick out my casket"

She covered her mouth as she chuckled.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of Rick Grimes, who died because his girlfriend's a freak-"

"Stop!", She laughed, picking up a pillow and throwing it at him.

"Fine".

…

"It doesn't really get that busy around here in the week, mainly on the weekends"

Michonne nodded as she followed the sales assistant around the grocery store. She was excited to start have her first job, even though it wasn't something she was particularly interested in.

"The kids aren't much of a problem, but we have had problems with some of the teens…"

She tried not to cringe, "Oh really?"

"Yeah, bunch of them trashed this place not that long ago. Took us all night to clean up the mess they made"

She sighed and shook her head, "Well hopefully that won't happen again"

"I hope not. But besides that, it's pretty calm around here"

The walked past the store entrance, and Michonne quickly noticed Rick's Car, parked beside Shane's. She knew he was desperate to leave, but appreciated the fact that he hadn't come in the store, as she didn't know if he would be recognised for his careless act.

"So you just finished high school right?"

"I did", She nodded at the taller, brunette male.

"Well it's a good thing you're getting a job, it'll keep you busy, and it looks good on your resume" He smiled as they came to a stop, "You planning on going to college too?"

"I am"

"That's good too. You seem to have your head screwed on, not like some of these other…"

Michonne followed his line of sight as he stopped talking, looking behind her. She instantly withdrew the appreciation she thought she felt for Rick previously, as he strolled into the store with Daryl. She raised her eyebrows at him, signalling for him to leave with her eyes.

He ignored her actions, smirking as they walked down the aisle.

"He's our worst customer"

She looked back at the man, "Oh really? Well… thanks for the heads up… so is that everything?"

"Yeah it is, sorry, uh, so I'll see you tomorrow morning"

"Okay, see you in the morning and thank you Phillip", She smiled, giving him a small wave as she walked away.

"No problem"

She quickly made her way to the aisle she saw Daryl and Rick disappear down, with the intention of reprimand ingredients the other teens. When she did find them, she was surprised to see them stood looking at canned goods, like two normal, well behaved shoppers.

She opened her mouth to say something to them, when a customer on the other side of the aisle called out in disgust, "What on earth?"

The customer whipped her hands from touching the handle bar of the shopping cart. Michonne squinted at the woman, before turning her attentions to Rick, who nudged Daryl as they snickered. She frowned at him when he noticed her.

Rick matched her look, "What?"

"Come on", She hissed, turning around to leave.

"Fine", She didn't need to look at him to tell her was pouting.

"Oh Michonne, I almost forgot…", Phillip announced as she came around the corner of the aisle, though his smile fell when he saw her accompanied by two others.

"Yeah?", She tried to keep his focus purely on her.

"We have a carpool arranged for the morning shifts so… if you'd like-"

"She'll be fine", Rick grinned, crossing his arms over his chest.

Michonne held back a growl, "Thank you Phillip but it's fine, I have a ride"

He nodded, though his eyes didn't leave Rick. She shouldn't have been surprised at Rick's attitude, as her boyfriend never wasted an opportunity to taunt others, though it still annoyed her greatly.

The two of them were close to glaring at each other when she spoke, "Well thanks! See you tomorrow"

Philip sent her a single nod before she headed towards the store exit. Rick's possessive side was hardly an issue, only whenever she had been in a relationship with someone else, but she was beginning to wonder if their new status would rear this side of him more often. She hoped not, as she faced that problem with Mike and it didn't end well.

"What was that?"

Rick looked back towards the store, "That guy's a jerk. I mean I know I can be but he thinks he's the damn owner or somethan'-"

"Rick, please keep all your little tricks and pranks out the store for now on? If you want this to work then I need to have a job and I don't want to get-"

"Alright, alright", He rose his hands in surrender as they approached his car, "I won't do anythan' that'll make you lose your job"

She stared at him, not entirely impressed with the terms he used.

"Come on, I'm hungry so I know you are too" He smiled opening the passenger side door.

She got in and watched him make his way around the car.

"He's right you know" Daryl piped up from the back seat, "He is a jerk"

She turned back to him, and frowned when she saw him holding a clear tub of what looked like scorpions, "Why?"

Daryl shrugged, "I can get 'em cheap"

She looked at Rick as he sat down in the driver's seat. He in turn, looked back at Daryl, his eyes dropping to the container, then turned back to Michonne.

"Their harmless"

"What are you planning to do with them?", She asked, her eyes darting back and forth between the two.

Daryl held them up, "Probably give somebody a little fright"

"A little?"

"Oh, I know exactly what to do with them", Rick grinned as they pulled out the grocery store parking lot.

She stared at the side of his face.

He glanced at her and shrugged, "If I wanna be a good law abiding officer one day then I've gotta get it all out my system now"

"He's right you know", Daryl nodded.

She looked back at the other teen, "What do you want to do now?"

"Mechanic"

She raised her eyebrows as she nodded, "I can definitely see you doing that"

Daryl gave her a quick smile, so quick she almost missed it.

"Fancy seeing you again!"

All three looked towards the other car at the red light, and Michonne's brow knitted together at the two girls in the convertible. The driver was a blonde, who looked a few years older than them, and wore a cleavage exposing top. Rick shifted in his seat and gave them both a single nod, almost speeding away when the light changed.

Realization hit Michonne in the face. She awkwardly looked out the passenger window, as she was unsure of what to say. It was something she was learning to accept, even though it still made her feel uneasy and it left her feeling out of place. The more she thought about it, a lot of the things he did made her feel out of place.


	16. Chapter 16

"You know what we ain't done in a while?"

Rick already started to grin before he turned to his best friend, "Tell me"

"Blown somethan' up"

Rick raised his eyebrows at his friend, "Yeah because last time we did, it cost us a couple hundred dollars"

"That's cause we got caught", Shane shrugged.

He considered his words, as it was true, "You're right about that"

"We should probably…"

Shane's words trailed off and he soon saw why, as Michonne and Paula returned to the table. Rick hadn't been able to shake that uncomfortable feeling after seeing the other female at the red light. He had, in all honesty, completely forgotten of her existence, so he was just as surprised to see her at the same spot he had previously.

Michonne sat down beside him and took a sip of her chocolate milkshake, her eyes aimlessly trolling the eatery.

"What time you start tomorrow?" He asked, hoping to return to their usual tone of conversation.

She turned to him, moving the straw only an inch from her mouth, "Eight thirty"

He nodded, "Alright"

"You know I probably should take the carpool. You don't have to drop me off every morning-"

"But I will. It's no different to when we used to go to school together", He dismissed.

Her eyes dropped to her straw, "Alright"

He left his arm fall from the back of the seat to around her waist, giving her hip a little squeeze in hope of seeing her smile. She did, but not the he kind that made him melt. It was a quick slither of a smile.

"What's wrong?", He pestered.

She shook her head, "Nothing? Why?"

He studied her for a moment, "Is this about…"

She shook her head again, "No… I mean it wasn't… let's just forget about it?"

He nodded, happy to oblige, "Yeah"

"Paula invited me to go over to her house later"

His eyebrows shot up, "Really?"

"Yeah"

While Rick didn't have a problem with Paula, he knew the other girl loved to go out looking for a good time, which is why she hung out with them, "Just to hang out?"

She nodded, "Yeah"

He bit his lip as she tried his best not to show her how uncomfortable with the idea, "Sounds good…"

She saw right through him, "We're just hanging out, Rick"

"I know, but what if Karen or Jessie turn up?"

"She knows what happened with Karen. We talked about it in the bathroom, and we didn't talk about Jessie but, even if she's there I'll just leave"

He sighed, "Alright"

"You need to relax, you can't keep me from uncomfortable situations"

"But I can try"

She tilted her head at him.

"Is it wrong that I just want you to have a stress free life?"

"No it's not wrong, it's very endearing actually, but you worry too much. You have to get used to the idea of me being without you sometimes"

His chest tightened, "I don't like that"

"Neither do I, but it has to happen"

His lip curled at the idea. He was about to say something else to her, when he saw Mike walk in the establishment with two of his friends, along with Karen and Jessie. His head jerked back and he looked at Shane, who frowned at the strange coupling.

"Real nice", Daryl snorted and he turned back from looking at them.

"Great", Michonne breathed as she put her milkshake down.

Rick gave her hip a comforting squeeze, "It's nothing, we don't bother them attend they don't bother us"

He instantly regretted saying that, as Jessie made her way over to their table.

"Hey guys", She smiled, keeping her attention on everyone else but Rick and Michonne. She received a few weak greetings back before she turned her attentions to Paula, "I tried to call you earlier?"

Paula cringed, "Sorry, I've been busy…"

"Oh okay, well are you free later?"

She gave a pathetic attempt at shaking her head, "No, not tonight"

Jessie sighed before spinning on her heel and walking back to the other table.

"Don't think she's happy about that" Glenn smirked as he looked over his shoulder.

"She'll get over it", Paula waved her hand dismissively at the accusation.

"See? No worries", Michonne nudged Rick as she spoke.

"Yeah. You're right"

…

"So you spoke to Maggie yet?"

Rick expected his friend to turn crimson from the question, and Glenn didn't let him down.

"No… not yet, I didn't get her number"

Rick shrugged, "I'll get it off Cha-Cha"

Glenn's eyes seem to show nothing but fear, "Really?"

"Yeah", Rick's eyes roamed the area around him, "Why? What's the problem?"

"It's just she's pretty full on and she's blunt and… I mean I really like her but-"

"You're nervous. I get it. Just keep the topic on her until your balls finally drop and you can talk about somethan' else"

Glenn snorted a chuckle, "Thanks"

"It's what I'm here for", Rick smirked, taking a drag on his cigarette.

"Since we're on the subject…"

Rick raised an eyebrow as he glanced at him.

"Gareth came and talked to me at the party and asked me about you and Michonne…"

Rick's eyebrow didn't fall, though he stilled with the cigarette at his lips.

"He wanted to ask her out, but he didn't know what was going on between you and her… I told him you guys are best friends so he's planning on asking her out"

Rick nodded, looking at the convenience store in front of them, "Well, he's gonna be disappointed when she tells him I'm her boyfriend"

Glen's eyes widened, "Really?"

"Yep."

Glenn face went through a range of emotions, "Why didn't you say something? I would have told him to back off"

Rick shrugged, "Thought it was obvious"

Glenn frowned, "How?"

"Well…" Rick thought about it, "We went to prom together?"

Glenn looked confused, "You went to nearly all school dances together?"

Rick squinted, "You're right…"

"What's going on in there?"

Rick pushed away from his car and walked over to the door of the store, looking for his other two friends. He instantly saw them wrestling with the store owner and his son.

"Shit", He hissed as he threw the remainder of his cigarette and ran in to the store, "What the hell mam?!"

"Son of a bitch said we were stealing!", Shane called as he shoved the older man.

"Said were banned from his piece of shit store", Daryl gruffed as he paced behind Shane.

"I know he was stealing!", The owner argued, backing away from the three of them whilst shielding his son.

"Hey! Now look, we do a lot of shit, but we don't steal, none of us need to steal", Rick informed calmly.

"I saw him-"

"His parents could probably buy this damn place, so do you think he's tight for money? You think he would need to steal?", Rick frowned at the man as he crossed his arms.

"I don't want them back in here-"

"Alright, fine, just let them pay for what they want and they'll be out of your way", Rick offered.

The man looked at all of them with angry eyes.

"They won't step foot in here again", Rick tilted his head at him.

The man opened his mouth to say something, when they all heard the sounds of sirens approaching.

Rick looked back at the door, before turning back to older man, "You son of a-"

"Come on!"

The three ran out of the store, urging Glenn to get in the car when they reached their vehicles. Rick and Shane simultaneously pulled out and headed up the street, just as a police car came down the opposite side of the street. Rick almost breathed a sigh of relief, until he saw the squad car U-turn and follow them.

"Shit!", He cursed, trying to figure out what to do.

Shane's car picked up speed in front of him and he decided to follow suit. He put his foot on the gas and sped up the street behind his friend, with sirens blaring behind him.

"Oh man!", Glenn panicked, looking from Shane's car to the officers.

"Hold on", Rick ordered as he took a turn late down a side street, while Shane continued the go the other way.

He kept checking his rear view mirror as he drove, though he didn't see the office behind him. He hoped Shane could lose him too.

"We're gonna have to lay low for a while", Glenn breathed, rubbing his hands over his face.

"Yeah, we are"

Once he had dropped Glenn home, Rick headed over to Paula's house to pick up Michonne. He knew it wouldn't be a good idea for him to be driving around for the rest of the night, so he chose to pick her up sooner, rather than later.

When he arrived at Paula's home, he growled loudly at the sight of her mother's car in the driver way. He called Michonne instead of going up to the front door.

"Hey?"

"Hey, I'm outside, we gotta head home"

"What? Why?", She questioned.

"Long story, but I just can't be driving around right about now"

"Oh, alright"

She hung up and he sat back in his seat with a sigh. He didn't meant to interrupt her time with Paula but he had to get her home as well as his self.

She finally appeared at the front door, waving to Paula as she walked away. She made her way across the lawn and swiftly got in the passenger seat, "What happened?"

"Some guy called the cops on us because he thought Shane was stealing, got in to a little chase" He summarised as he began to drive, "Sorry I cut off your girl time"

"It's okay", She huffed, "I'm staying over her house this weekend"

Rick frowned at the windshield, "Oh"

She looked form his knuckles on the steering wheel, to his face, "Just for the night, Rick"

He nodded, though his frown remained, "Yeah, alright"

"So you got in to a high speed chase with the cops?"

"Somethan' like that. I don't know who called the police because we were working it out, we agreed to leave and not come back"

"Someone probably heard the commotion"

He snarled, "Yeah, you're probably right… Oh, Glenn wants Maggie's number"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah…told me Gareth's interested in you too"

Her face crumbled in confusion, "What? Gareth?"

"Yep"

"Oh… well maybe Mike was right…"

He glanced over at her, "You never did tell me what he said at the party?"

She snorted, "Nothing of any importance"

"Go on"

She sighed, "Just that I've changed because of you, but not in a good way"

He scowled as they turned in to their Street, "What?"

"Told you. Not important"

He was about to insult her ex further, when he saw a police car outside their home, causing him to stop in the street.

"Fuck", He groaned.

Michonne sat up straighter, "They might just want to talk?"

"I highly doubt that"

"You can't lead them on a chase again, Rick", She looked at him with wide eyes.

He turned to her with his eyebrow raised as he figured out what to do next. He couldn't keep driving and he obviously couldn't hide, so he decided to continue driving to their home. The officer was stood on the porch talking to his parents, and for the first time in a long time, he hoped his mother would be able to help him.

"What if he wants to take you to the station with you?"

Rick shrugged, his eyes on the three people at the front door, "Then I go right? What other choice do I have?"

She shook her head as she got out the car, and he did the same shortly after. They walked up to the front of the home, and Rick instantly saw that his mother was angry.

"Rick, is it?"

"It is", Rick nodded as he stood in front of the officer.

"You had a run in today with a store owner?", The officer asked.

"No. Just a misunderstanding"

The officer shifted his stance, "Did you stop for the officer that arrived on the scene?"

He frowned, "I saw an officer but I didn't think he wanted me to stop?"

The officer narrowed his eyes at him, "You tell me what happened then?"

"The guy who runs the store thought a friend of mine stole somethan' and I assured him that wasn't the case, but he still wanted us out so we agreed to leave and never go back. That was it"

"You just agreed to leave?"

"Yeah. There's plenty other stores we can go to, and if he doesn't want us there then it's his property so, what else can we do?"

The officer nodded, "And you didn't stop for the officer because-"

"Didn't think I had to. I didn't do anythan' wrong, you can go ask the store owner"

The officer shifted again, his eyes scanned across the other three sets that watched their interaction, "Well I'd like to hear everybody else's side before we decide what to do-"

"You've heard his side so now you can go and talk to everyone else involved. He's told you that the store owner would collaborate with his story so you don't have any other reason to question him. Goodbye officer"

Rick raised his eyebrows at his mother, before side stepping past the officer and in to his home.

"I apologise for disturbing you mam, thank you for your compliance with the matter, you folks have a good night", The officer tipped his hat at them all before stepping off the porch.

As soon as the door closed, his mother turned to face him, "What in God's name-"

"Everythan' I just said there was the truth", Rick quickly announced, "He thought Shane stole somethan', I smoothed it over but they called the police already"

His father looked down at his mother, then at Rick again, "You didn't think they wanted you to stop?"

Rick grimaced, "Well that part was a lie, but I panicked okay? I thought I'd get in trouble for somethan' I actually didn't do this time. And I actually didn't do anythan' wrong this time"

"Well if you're innocent then you don't run from police!", His mother threw her hands up in the air as she made her point.

Rick frowned as he thought about it, "Yeah… I see what you mean"

She groaned and stomped off down the hall, why his father shook his head and walked in to the living room. He looked down at Michonne, who sighed and held his arm.

"Let's get some rest"

…

Rick rubbed the back of his neck as he climbed out of his car. Having dropped Michonne off at work that morning, his plan was to go home and get some more sleep.

"Rick?"

He stopped in front of his car and turned around to see Michonne's mother stood on her lawn. He was growing tired of hearing his name called as he tried not to frown, "Yes?"

"Can we talk for a moment?"

He decided to frown.

"Just for a moment?"

His eyes scanned around the other homes for a moment, before he finally walked towards her cautiously. He hadn't spoken to the woman since the night Michonne came to live with him, and even before then he hadn't spoken to her on years. She walked up to her house and Rick inwardly groaned, as he wasn't expecting to do so. It had been a very long time since he'd been on the ground level of their home. Whenever he was there, it was in Michonne's bedroom only.

She led him to the living room and took a seat, watching him intently, "Please, take a seat"

He did, on the edge of the couch, as far away as possible.

"Rick, I don't think we've spoken properly since you were a little boy"

He stared at her, unsure of where the conversation was going.

"I know you and my daughter are close, but I would like for you to take somethings in to consideration if you wish to continue your friendship-"

"Relationship", He corrected.

She stiffened, "Fine. Either way, my daughter has a path set for her, a path that most women like us are destined to follow, and you've dragged her off that path-"

"I don't force her to do anythan' that she doesn't want to do", He inserted.

"No, you may not think that, but she clearly cares for you so she may be doing things that she doesn't want to do to please you"

His frown quickly returned.

"She told me she wants to marry you. She doesn't want the man that was chosen for her, and it's going to bring a great shame to our family that she's done all of this-"

"So what is it you wanted to talk to me about?", He was becoming fed up with the conversation.

She stiffened again, "You are ruining her. You are riding her of everything she's been taught-"

"She doesn't want any of that"

"She thinks she doesn't-"

"I know your daughter better than you"

Her eyes bulged, "Pardon me?"

"I don't mean to sound like a little punk but I do. What's her favourite colour?"

Her head jerked back, "What does that have to do with-"

"Purple. Her favourite food? Cheese fries. She loves reading more than anythan' else, she loves action movies and her favourite bird is a hummingbird. We were twelve when we watched a documentary about them, and she fell in love with them when the narrator said they were symbolic for joy and endurance in some cultures... Ever since I've called her my little hummingbird because despite everythan' that was going on here, she'd come over to my house with a big smile on her face and just make my whole day…"

The older woman blinked at him.

"She's funny too… not always intentionally… but my point is, I could probably sit here and list everythan' about her, and it would probably all new news to you because if you knew her, you wouldn't be trying to manipulate her to do what you want. She wants to be a nurse and she wants to get married and have kids in her own time"

"...How long has she been sleeping over at your home?"

He wasn't expecting that question, "Years. Since we were thirteen"

"Why?"

He sighed as he looked around the room, "Because you stopped her hanging out with me"

She shook her head as she too, looked around the room, "Nice to finally know"

He tilted his head to look at her, before slowly rising up from the couch, "So I'll get going-"

"Please, just think of my daughter, and the life you could be holding her back from attaining. You and her are completely different people and it will fall apart eventually, so save her the heartache, please"

He looked down at the woman one last time, before heading out the room. He wasn't very sure about how he'd tell Michonne about his conversation with her mother, but he knew she had to know about it, as he didn't want them to catch her or himself off guard again. He was beginning to wonder when the obstacles outside their relationship would come to an end.


	17. Chapter 17

"So is your graduation coming up?"

Michonne nodded as she walked to the front of the store with Philip, "Yeah, it is, this week"

"What are you doing after it?"

Her eyes slid up to meet his, "Uh, I don't really know… whatever my friends are doing"

"Well, why don't we have a little dinner on the weekend? To celebrate you joining the store and graduating?"

She gave a tight smile that slowly morphed into a grimace.

"Oh come on", He nudged her gently, "It'll be a great way for you to get to know everyone here too"

She reluctantly nodded, "Alright, fine"

"Great! I'll spread the word, we can go to that new place over on Cedar Street? At seven?"

"Yeah, sure-"

"Cha-Cha!"

Both their heads whipped around at the sound of Rick's voice. He was leaning against his car in the parking lot, chucking the remains of a cigarette away.

"See you tomorrow", Michonne waved to an unimpressed Philip as she walked over to her boyfriend.

"Yeah, tomorrow", Philip replied distantly.

Rick's eyes were still on the other man as she approached him, "What did he want?"

"Oh, he just wants us all to go out to dinner on the weekend?"

Rick's eyes darted to hers, "You and him?"

"Everyone at the store"

"What for?", His head tilted as he asked the question.

"For me joining the store and graduating…"

He pulled a face, "Let me guess, it was all his idea?"

She sighed as she shifted her weight from one foot to another.

"Are you gonna go?"

"Well I said I would…"

He pushed off the car as he shook his head and walked around his car to the driver's side. She held back the urge to groan as she got into the passenger side. While she wasn't surprised about his reaction, she still couldn't stand to see him sulk.

"It's just a dinner", She insisted as he stared the car.

"You tell him you have a boyfriend?"

Her head jerked back, "No? Why?"

He smirked as he looked out the rear view mirror, "He thinks you're single-"

"Or maybe he's not interested? And even if he was I'm obviously not interested in him so why does it matter?"

"It matters because he's obviously trying to get with you"

"So what do you suggest? Should I walk in tomorrow and shout around the store 'I have a boyfriend so don't be nice to me!'", She raised her eyebrows at him.

Rick glanced at her, his trademark grin making an appearance, "I was thinking we get you a t-shirt with a picture my face on the front"

She attempted to give him a stern look but her smile was determined to break free.

"Maybe get you some matching socks"

She chuckled as she swatted him away, "Stop it"

He took her hand in his as they stopped at a red light, "Your mom spoke to me today"

Her smile quickly fell, "What?"

"Yeah, after I dropped you off", He laced his fingers with hers, "I think she was trying to convince me to cut you off"

She watched him with a pensive expression, "Are you being serious?"

He nodded as he started driving again, "Yeah, she invited me in and everythan'... kinda glad your dad wasn't there"

She huffed as she tried to gather her thoughts. It hurt her more that it was her mother that spoke to him, as she was genuinely starting believe that she may have wanted some sort of bond with her. She felt grossly mistaken.

"Hey", Rick called for her attention softly, "I didn't listen to her"

She shook her head, "It's not that, I know you wouldn't"

"Then what?"

"It's just… the last time we spoke she said she really cared about me…"

"I don't think she doesn't, she just really wants you to do what they want"

"But I'm not, I told them I don't want any of that and it's like they don't fucking quit"

Rick's eyes widened as he glanced at her, "...This is probably very poor timing but can I just say it's a little sexy when you swear?"

She sighed as she started to smile.

"I'm just saying"

She shook her head, a little laugh leaving her lips.

"There's that smile", He grinned, lifting her hand to his lips and placing a soft kiss on her knuckles.

A fluttering sensation shot through her core at his touch, and the temptation to kiss him was almost overwhelming, until her phone rang.

"Hey Paula", She answered in a cheery tone. Rick snorted as they turned in to their Street.

"Hey girl! Where are you?", Paula sounded more cheerful than she did.

"I'm on my way home from work"

"Nice! Can I come over? Shane and I just had a major fight so I want some girl talk"

"Oh you wanna come over?", She repeated, trying to get Rick's attention. He frowned at her and shook his head, mouth 'No', "How about I come over to you instead?"

He shook his head again.

"Uh, Paula, sorry I'm all over the place, hold on for a second"

"Sure"

She put the phone to her chest, and hissed at Rick, "What then?"

"Tell her to go home", He hissed back as he parked up.

"She just wants to talk Rick, that's it", She pleaded.

He threw his hands up in the air and sighed.

"Paula? You can come over, I'm home-"

"Hey!"

The sight of Paula by the driver side window with a large smile caused both Rick and Michonne to yelp in fear.

Rick frowned at her, "What the hell? Did you run here?"

"I was at Shane's", she pouted, stepping back to allow Rick space to exit his car.

"Why'd you leave?", He asked dryly.

"Because we were in the middle of having-"

"Stop!", Rick raised his hand to her, "I changed my mind, you can keep that story to yourself"

She snickered as they began to walk towards his home, "The three of us can hang out together! Would you believe I've never been inside his house before?"

Michonne smiled as Paula linked arms with her, "No way?"

"Nope. He's a bad friend"

"Yeah yeah" Rick mumbled as he pushed open the front door, "This is going to be a long evening"

…

"...And I just hurled everywhere and it got in both of our hair, all down his chest… I could have died of embarrassment"

Michonne and Rick sat with their mouths open, a horrified look on their faces, while Paula continued to dive into her bag of chips.

Rick's eyes crept over to Michonne, who was sat in the opposite couch with her legs up. He raised his eyebrows at her before pretending to stretch, "It's getting late ain't it? I can drop you home Paula?"

"Oh no, I'm locked out. Left my keys at home so have to wait for my mom to finish work", She huffed as she continued to gaze at the TV.

"What time does she finish?", He pressed.

"She's doing the night shift so about eight I think"

He frowned at Michonne, then looked back at the other teen, "So what was you going to do all night?"

She shrugged, "I dunno', crash somewhere maybe?"

Rick stared at her disbelievingly. Michonne raised her eyebrows at him as she tilted her head sympathetically. He ignored her.

"Where does your mom work?", His tone flat and unimpressed.

"The bar on Oak street"

"Alright, let's go get you those keys" Rick clapped his hands together enthusiastically.

Michonne sighed at her boyfriend's attitude. Despite the fact that she was getting tired, and she wanted some alone time with him before she slept, she didn't want to make Paula feel unwelcome. Though, she technically was as neither of them wanted her there.

They soon piled back into Rick's car and headed to the bar across town. Michonne did nothing to hide her displeasure with Rick, but he was sat with a small, content smile as he drove.

"The college parties are going to be crazy!", Paula exclaimed excitedly from the back seat, "Wouldn't it be great if we're roommates?"

She smiled back at her, "Yeah… or at least in the same building"

"We can study all week then party all weekend"

Michonne's tried to discreetly look at Rick. She knew how he felt about her going away to college, and she knew she didn't want to be away from him for too long either. She felt a fool for not factoring in social events when trying to sell the idea of them living apart.

His grip tightened on the steering wheel as he pursed his lips, "Why don't you give Shane a call Paula?"

She scoffed, "No way! Not after he tried to put his-"

"Hey!", Rick called back, "You don't need to go into detail. I'm sure he's sorry"

"You think?"

"Yeah, sure…", He shrugged.

Michonne stared at the side of Rick's face while Paula took out her phone. He glanced over at her and flashed an evil smile.

It didn't take them long to arrive at the bar. There were people from all walks of life walking in and out, and hanging around outside the establishment. Rick and Michonne sat watching Paula get out the car, her phone glued to her ear as she did.

Rick breathed a sigh of relief, resting his head back on the seat, "I always learn somethan'

new when I hang around with her for too long"

"She's a nice girl", Michonne insisted as she looked over at him, "You didn't have to try to get rid of her like that-"

"No I did. She wouldn't have left otherwise. There's a reason I haven't invited her in the house and it's because she doesn't leave", He explained with raised eyebrows, "She'll stay over at Shane's for days at a time and the first time she went over to Daryl's she stayed for two weeks"

Michonne's mouth was slightly agape, "Why does she-"

"God knows. She obviously doesn't like staying at her own house. I can't even blame her. Her mom's intense"

"She seemed nice-"

"She thinks she's our age. Always trying to hang out with us… and she's too damn touchy"

Michonne frowned at him, "Touchy?"

"She's always touching me unnecessarily! If I'm handing you a bottle of water, there should be no reason for my hand to end up on your ass, right?"

Michonne's eyebrows shot up before she burst into laughter, "What?!"

He stared at her with a serious expression.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh because it's wrong but… it's just I don't understand how-"

The back door opened and Paula slid in with a smile on her face, "Can you drop me at Shane's?"

Rick's brow fell as he looked out the windshield, "Gladly"

"We made up and he apologised. He thought that I wanted to-"

"Alright!"

…

"I'm glad I caught you, honey"

Michonne gingerly placed the spoon back in her bowl as she watched Rick's mother stand opposite her on the other side of the counter. She was dressed and ready for work, and Michonne was unsure of what topic she wanted to bring to her attention.

"I've tried to talk to Rick about the two of you but he just…", She waved her hand in the air, "Dismissed me… but I just wanted to ask if there's somethan' going on there…"

Michonne wished to disappear into the tiles beneath her, "Uh… well I guess you could say… yes?"

She sighed, shifting her stance, "Now that's… that's a little… I figured somethan' was up when I heard about the tattoo, Shane's been his best friend for a long time too and I didn't hear anythan' about that…"

Michonne scratched at the marble counter as she listened to the older woman.

"I don't like the idea of the two of you… engaging", She raised her eyebrows as she stressed the word, "Under this roof, if you understand what I mean?"

Michonne nodded awkwardly.

"It somethan' that just wouldn't sit right with me and I'd appreciate if the two of you kept to your own rooms from now on, purely for my own sanity"

"I understand"

"I know how it is to be young and you don't wanna leave each other but… our rooms down the hall and it's just… it's not somethan' I want to worry about… and I don't want y'all making me a grandmother before I'm ready"

Michonne's eyebrows shot up as she shook her head, "Oh no, no… no"

"Good. Thank you very much for that"

"Thank you for what?", Rick wondered into the kitchen, eyeing his mother suspiciously as he dragged his fingers through his bed hair.

"I was just talking to Michonne about your sleeping arrangements…"

Rick stopped dead in his tracks, his brow furrowing.

"I'd prefer that the two of you slept in your own rooms from now on-"

"Why?", He pressed.

"Because I know the two of you are in a relationship", She spoke a little firmer.

"Yeah? What does that change?", He argued, crossing his arms.

"It means the chances of y'all engaging in any kind of… sexual activity-"

"What difference does it make? She's been sleeping over here for years-"

"And I only found that out recently-"

"Exactly. You didn't know any different. So if you didn't know we were in a relationship, you would've continued to not have a problem with us sharing a bed?"

His mother's eyes narrowed as she pursed her lips, "I'd prefer you slept in separate beds, and that's it"

He matched her look as he walked past her and headed to the fridge.

"Now, I'm off so y'all have a good day"

His mother's heels hit the floor hard as she left the kitchen. Michonne still sat scratching at the counter top as she considered her request. Rick had a tendency to be grumpy in the mornings, and she was unsure whether that was the reason he was being short with his mother or if he was genuinely offended.

"I think I preferred it when she didn't care", Rick gruffed as he slammed the fridge door shut.

"She just doesn't like the idea of us…", Michonne offered.

"Why'd you tell her anythan' anyway? It's none of her business"

Her eyebrow rose, "Well if you had just answered her in the first place then she wouldn't have had to come and ask me"

"I didn't tell her anythan' because I didn't think it was any of her business" He countered as he stood beside her, "She's trying to be a mother now? When I'm eighteen? I used to go days without even talking to her or even seeing her and we lived in the same damn house"

Michonne opened her mouth to say something, when they both heard someone clear their throat. His mother stood at the kitchen entrance, her mouth tight and her body tense.

"I was just going to say, we'll be having a barbecue this Saturday for y'all's graduation party… so invite your friends"

Rick gave her a single nod before moving around the kitchen again, while Michonne tried her best to smile, "Oh okay… that sounds great. We will"

She nodded and spun on her heel, leaving again.

Michonne threw her hands in the air at him, hissing, "Great!"

He smirked, "She should have made herself known sooner"

"Rick, she's trying! She didn't have to agree to let me live here but she did, and she's been trying to play mediator between me and my parents-"

"Yeah, yeah"

"You're being a little ridiculous, Rick"

He slammed the utensil drawer shut and looked at her, "Oh well"

She groaned and got up from her bar stool.

"I don't wanna argue about her. I don't even wanna talk about her, alright?"

She put her bowl in the sink just as he held her arm, "Fine, whatever"

"Don't whatever me", He pulled her towards him, "I mean it. I don't like arguing with you about anythan', least of all her"

"I get it, Rick" She sighed, looking out the window.

"Look at me"

She reluctantly slid her eyes towards him.

"I'll try to talk to her later, but nothing changes alright?"

She sighed, hoping she wouldn't get stuck between he and his mother, "Alright"

…

"What are you…"

Michonne squinted as she watched Rick kneel over her bare lower half.

His eyes roamed between her legs, "...You ever had a personal visit?"

She was still, "A personal visit?"

He nodded.

"As in…"

He continued to nod.

"No…", She couldn't deny that the thought of Rick's head between her legs made her nervous, but she was a little excited at the prospect.

He repositioned himself, with both her legs over his shoulders. His breath tickled her crotch and she almost closed her legs, but he held them apart.

"Rick…"

"Just relax…"

She inhaled slowly and tried to do as he said, but once she felt his lips on her folds, she tensed again, "Rick-"

"It's okay", He mumbled against her skin, "Relax…"

She looked at the ceiling with a furrowed brow, trying to get used to the feeling. Naturally, the urge to close her legs was a great one. She questioned what it was about the act that made it so popular, as the most Rick was doing was tickling her. But then she felt his tongue rest flat against her entrance, before stroking up her slit and her eyes rolled back. He licked her like she was an ice cream, and she moved her hips to meet his touch.

"Oh my god…"

Her eyes snapped shut and her back arched when he started to pay attention to her clit, her tongue swirling around it in clockwise movements. She didn't believe she could feel anything more sensational than his mouth against her, until she felt him shift again, and two of his fingers slipped inside her. She cursed aloud.

"Shhh", He grinned, "You need to keep it down"

He was right but she was beyond the point of caring. One of his hands held her in place, the other rocked inside her and his mouth latched onto her bud. She was almost lightheaded.

"Rick, I'm think I'm gonna-"

"Oh, you will"

She felt a familiar intensity building within her. Her fingers found his curls and she bit her lip as she ground herself against his mouth. She attempted to close her legs as she came but he held them open, still ravishing her core with his tongue and fingers.

It was no secret that he was experienced but she wondered what else he specialized in, as he never seemed to fail in satisfying her. She was more than interested in finding out.

By the time he finally released her, she was a glistening, panting mess. He moved to lean above her with a pleased smile on his face.

"You taste great"

She hummed a reply, ready to go fall asleep, when her eyes popped open, "Should I… return the favour?"

He shook his head, "No, you don't need to"

She sighed, relieved as she wouldn't have had a clue about what she was doing anyway. It dawned on her that she would have to pay attention to Paula's stories if she ever want to try such a thing.

She remembered her new friend's ideas about their college life together and felt a little uneasy all of a sudden.

"What's wrong?", Rick's voice was soft as he stopped rolling the condom onto himself.

Her eyes didn't leave the ceiling, "Do you ever feel like… We've made things harder on ourselves?"

An eyebrow raised, "What do you mean?"

She huffed, "It's just… we spend so much time together that I get anxious when I think about being away from you"

He wore a pensive expression, leaning over her again, "I've always felt that way"

"Is that healthy though?" She finally looked at him, hoping he could reassure her somehow.

He took himself in his hands and placed his tip at her entrance, "I don't think it is, but I don't think I care either way…"

She gasped as he sank inside her, her arms wrapping around his shoulders.

"I love you…", He breathed in her ear, leisurely pumping in and out of her, "...And I don't wanna be away from you"

She basked in the feeling of him, his words swimming around her mind. As much as she was sure she felt the same way towards him, she wasn't sure if it would always work in their favour.


	18. Chapter 18

"A written exam? I thought we left that all behind us"

Rick sighed as he folded the forms he acquired from the police department, "You worried?"

Shane scoffed, "You know I hate all the exams and interviews. They need to get me out on a field, give me an obstacle course or somethan'. That I can do"

Rick smirked at him as they walked over to the eatery across the street. He was excited at the prospect of becoming an officer and was glad his friend was taking it as seriously as he was. One of his initial worries about he and Shane possibly working together was that he knew that they both had a craving for immediate fulfilment through mischief. He was trying his best to keep his impulses to a minimum, but Shane was almost like his other half, and knew how to entice that side out of him.

When they stepped into the diner, Glenn and Daryl were already sat in a booth, Glenn on his phone while Daryl ate.

"We should have a party up at that cabin after graduation"

Rick's eyes lit up as he thought about it, "We should, but what's it looking like up there? It's probably a mess from the last one"

Shane shrugged as he took a seat, "I didn't exactly stay behind to clean it up"

"You been to the cabin lately?", Rick turned his attentions to Daryl.

His friend shifted in his seat as he gave a nod, "Yeah, why?"

Rick looked at him strangely, "Party Friday night?"

Daryl visibly relaxed, "Oh… alright, yeah"

Shane and Rick both snuck confused glances at each other, and Rick was about to grill his friend further when he noticed a familiar figure heading towards their table. He was ashamed to admit how he knew her, but for the life of him he couldn't remember her name.

"Oh hey!", She smiled as she held her note pad and pen in her hand, "Haven't seen you in a while?"

"Yeah…", Rick tried to not make it obvious he was trying to read her name tag, "You work here now?"

"Yeah, it's my first day actually so go easy on me", She giggled, "So what can I get you?"

"Uh… just a lemonade please, Shane?", He turned to his friend, who was looking up at the waitress with a grin.

"Same for me", He answered smoothly, "Jenny, is it?"

She nodded, "Yeah, Jenny"

"What time you get off Jenny?"

"I finish as six… why?"

"You wanna hang out with us later?"

She moved her weight from one foot to another, a nervous smile curling her lips as her eyes darted to Rick, "Uh… sure, I don't mind"

"Great. We'll pick you up"

Rick sighed as soon as she walked away from their table, "Why? Just why Shane?"

"She's pretty", He shrugged, "What's the problem? You do somethan' with her?"

He winced, "Remember at the bookstore last year?"

Shane stared at him, as the term meant nothing to him.

"Two girls? Her and the other one with the…terrible laugh?"

Shane's eyes flicker open, "She the scratcher?"

"Yes Shane, the scratcher"

"That little shy thing did all that?", He chuckled as he looked behind him, "I remember you came back looking like you had a tussle with a bear"

"That's the one"

An evil smile appeared on Shane's lips, "I wonder if she's still as… passionate"

Rick shook his head at him, "Yeah, good luck with that"

"Appreciate it"

…

"Aye I'm coming with you, I wanna get a pie or somethan'"

Rick pushed away from his car and followed Daryl to the grocery store, "Want anythan'?"

Shane, Glenn and Jenny all looked around as they thought, before Shane nudged his head towards the store, "Let's just go into"

All five made their way into the building. Rick just wanted to see Michonne for a little while, and he enjoyed watching her work. He always found her dedication to whatever she was doing endearing, and it reminded him of their time at high school.

"So, what have you been up to?"

Rick was surprised to see Jenny at his side, "Oh… not much? Just… hanging really?"

She nodded enthusiastically, though it was a very vague reply.

"You?", He asked while scanning across the aisles for Michonne.

"Same… I mean I don't have much of a social life but…"

He glanced at her.

"I have two jobs…", She explained.

"Oh? Really?"

"Yeah, I work in the toy store in town too"

He nodded, "Nice…"

"Uh, your friend… Shane told me about a party you guys are planning?"

"Yeah… well only just decided a couple hours ago… it's just gonna be a bunch of eighteen year olds anyway…"

"Well I'm only nineteen so It won't be too much of an age gap", She chuckled.

Rick gave a friendly smile when he felt Daryl hit his arm. He intended to frown at his friend, but then he saw he was bringing his attention to Michonne, who was walking towards them, already out of her uniform. Rick instantly felt awkward with the situation, as he knew that she didn't like to encounter his previous encounters.

"Hey", She smiled, her eyes sailing across the three of them.

"Hey…Uh, Michonne this is Jenny, Jenny, this is my girlfriend Michonne", Rick introduced as he stepped beside Michonne. The two of them gave each other friendly little waves, while Rick and Daryl stood with tense expressions.

"You wanted somethan' Daryl?", Rick tilted his head at his friend as he tried to separate the two females.

"Yeah…", Daryl quickly caught on, "Pie"

"Alright", Rick looked to Michonne, "You want anythan'?"

She shook her head, "Nope".

He could have sighed, "Well I want chips so…"

She winced at him before turning around and walking down the aisle. He followed after her, while Daryl and Jenny went the other way.

"What's going on? Who is she?", She questioned when he caught up with her.

He peaked over his shoulder, "Shane invited her, he met her today at the diner"

"Oh… I thought you slept with her or something"

He found himself focusing on nothing in particular, but he couldn't take his eyes away.

"You have, haven't you?", She stopped walking to stare at him while she waited for a reply.

He groaned as his stops came to a halt, "A long time ago"

"Why are you-"

"She came over, I thought she was with Shane but she just popped up beside me" He quickly explained.

"Are you gonna hang out with her?"

He frowned, "No, I'm hanging out with you"

"Well I want to go home so-"

"Then we're going home then"

"You don't want to go home though. I know you don't. So just, I don't know", She was visibly irritated with the conversation, "It's not that I don't trust you, because I do… it's just not a comfortable thought"

"That's why we're going home-"

"No. You want to hang out with your friends so go on", She reinstated, "I just need to deal with it-"

"Cha-Cha don't be like that-"

"Hey! Y'all ready?", Shane called from the top of the aisle, with Glenn beside him.

Michonne didn't say anything else, instead she just continued to walk ahead. Rick wanted to tear his hair out as he stepped behind her. On the one hand he did want to spend time with his friends, but he wanted her with them.

The two of them headed towards his car while the others paid for their purchases. He realised a silent sigh once they were in the privacy of his vehicle.

"You don't want to come out for a little while?"

She shook her head, "I'm pretty tired, I just want to go to sleep"

He nodded in agreement, "We can do that-"

"Rick, please stop. Just drop me home and go and do whatever it is you're gonna do. We can talk in the morning or something"

He frowned at her, "I don't like that Cha-Cha"

"Well you have to get used to it"

The logical part of him knew what she meant and how she meant it, but the irrational side of him heard something a little more harsh.

"I have to get used to it?", He repeated.

"We both do"

"So instead of spending the little bit of time we have left like this, you'd rather-"

"Rick, I don't want to argue with you about this. Not now, please?"

"I'm not arguing. I just want to make sure I understand what it is you want" His tone appeared calm but she knew better and so did he.

She groaned, "I want to go home and sleep. That's all I want right now"

He watched her with narrow eyes, "Alright. Fine"

"Thank you", She huffed, resting her head back on the seat.

He started the car and reversed out of the parking space. He couldn't pinpoint what it was about their predicament that bothered him, but he knew he felt uneasy.

"You gonna sleep in my bed?"

She took a moment to answer, "Probably not the best idea"

"Why?", He glanced over at her.

"Because we agreed that we'd sleep in our own rooms and if your mom comes home-"

"I didn't agree to that"

She let out a long, suffering sigh.

"You were in my bed last night"

"Sneaking into your room when your parents are asleep and sleeping in your bed when your parents are up are two different things, Rick"

"So when I get back you're gonna come in my room?"

He was sure he heard her growl, "Have you apologised to your mom yet?"

He snorted, "No"

"You said you would-"

"Yeah and I haven't found the opportunity to so it hasn't happened"

She shook her head at him, "More like you haven't taken the opportunity"

He bit the inside of his cheek as he stared out the windshield, "Drop it, Michonne"

She looked over at him with a disbelieving expression, before shaking her head again and turning her attentions to the window. He didn't mean to be so argumentative but it was almost like he couldn't stop himself. Anxiety was slowly filling his chest and he didn't know why or how to deal with it.

When they arrived home he sighed as he looked over at her. She undid her seatbelt and turned in her seat to get out the car when he grabbed her arm.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that"

She nodded and tried to exit the vehicle again but he still held her.

"Can you at least look at me?"

She did and the anxiety didn't budge, "I get it"

"Somethan' doesn't feel right here, and I don't know what it is"

She shrugged, "Neither do I"

His hold on her dropped, "I won't be out long…"

"Okay…"

She leaned over and kissed him, and he felt some relief, as he loved kissing her. The feeling of her lips pressed against his always seemed to put him at ease but it didn't completely do the trick this time around.

…

"Both of you stand together, I want to get a nice picture in front of the garden"

Rick sighed and took off his cap, "No more-"

"Just one more!", His mother insisted.

"Just one more", Michonne nudged him to move back.

He rolled his eyes and did what he was told.

"Put your cap on! Hold your diploma up!"

Rick was at the end of his tether with his mother. He just wanted to get out of his shirt and put on his trusted boots.

"That's it!", He declared as soon as the flash went off, taking off his cap and gown.

She shook her head and put her camera away, "Well at least I have one of you smiling"

"Can we get out of here now?", Rick hissed at Michonne, who had taken off her cap.

"You can go if you want, I want to catch up with Maggie and Lori for a little while", She offered, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand.

"You're not coming to get somethan' to eat with us?"

"Probably not…"

He tried not to show his disappointment, "Alright, call me when you're ready to head home, we're heading to the cabin after so..."

"About that", She cringed, "I think I'm gonna give tonight a miss"

He frowned down at her.

"I have work tomorrow and I'm starting earlier so I can get back for the barbecue so I don't want to stay out late-"

"You could come for a little while then we can go home together-"

"No, Rick. You go have fun, I'll get a ride home"

His head dropped as he shook it.

"Don't be like that-"

"Fine", He clenched his jaw as he looked over her head.

She sighed, "Rick-"

"I'm gonna go", He kissed her forehead as he stepped passed her but stopped when she held his arm.

"Wake me up when you get home", She insisted.

He just nodded. He didn't know why he was angry, but that seemed to be his go to emotion of late. He felt as if he wasn't spending much time with Michonne and even worse, she didn't seem as bothered by it as he was, which only fed his paranoia as she hadn't even left for college yet. It was all making him sick to him stomach.

…

"Where's my new beastie?"

Rick lowered his red solo cup to answer Paula, "At home, she has work in the morning"

Paula pouted, "I guess it's just you and me"

Rick raised an eyebrow at her as she swayed past him. He drained his cup and gazed around the cabin. Shane was stood talking to Jenny, who would occasionally look over at Rick and smile. He would cringe inside. Daryl had disappeared with Sasha and he didn't find it necessary to find out where. He was sat with Glenn on the kitchen counter, and the youngest member of their group was already highly intoxicated. He was about to say something to Glenn when he noticed Lori and Maggie snaking their way towards them through the crowd of teens, causing him to nudge Glenn.

He looked up at Rick, confused, "What?"

"Hey!", Maggie smiled, giving them both a little wave, "Michonne told us about the party so we thought we'd come by"

Glenn stared at her with slightly widened eyes.

"He's had a little too much…", Rick tried to explain with a wince.

Maggie chuckled at him as she took his cup from his hand.

"Oh, I never got to thank you for… last time", Lori flashed a small, shy smile.

"No problem", Rick shrugged, "You should probably take it a little easy this time around"

She flashed a larger smile and nodded, "Yeah, I learnt my lesson"

He gave her a single nod in agreement, his eyes trailing elsewhere when he noticed Jessie approaching him. He groaned aloud, as the music was loud enough to disguise it.

A friendly smile spread across her face, "Hey…"

"Hey", He replied dryly.

Her mouth opened and closed as few times before she finally spoke again, "How have you been?"

His brow dropped to a straight line, "Fine"

She huffed, "Rick, I really don't want there to be any kind of… weirdness between us. I actually miss hanging out with you guys but I feel like I can't now because of…"

"Because of what?" He tilted his head at her.

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, "Because your with Michonne now and it's… it's just a little weird"

"Why's it weird?", As much as he truly didn't care, he had pent up anger that he needed to direct somewhere, and an argument with Jessie was the perfect outlet.

"Because I liked you"

He almost jerked his head back as he was expecting her to say something else. He instantly felt horrendous, "Oh… yeah"

"Yeah…"

"Well I'm sorry that things turned out the way they did but I was always honest with you… and I was wrong for what happened between us"

She stared at him for a few moments, before nodding, "Yeah. I guess you were"

He sighed and gazed around again.

"So she's not here tonight?"

He raised an eyebrow as he looked back at her.

"I'm just asking", She raised her hands in surrender, "I'd thought this would be the party to go to because of graduation and everything…"

"Well if you don't see her then that means she's not here", He answered, feeling annoyed with her again.

"Oh… okay. Well see you around…"

"Bye, Jessie"

He kept his eyes on the small sea of people as she walked away. While he knew Jessie wasn't as malicious as Karen, he still considered her as sneaky and he didn't trust her at all.

He spent most of the party having the odd drink and talking with Maggie, Glenn and Lori. Until Maggie and Glenn left him with the other female. While he did his best to warn her about her alcohol consumption, she still managed to get herself in a slightly drunken state. Rick knew he had no obligation to look after her, as both her friends where there, but he would feel horrible if anything was so happen her, knowing he could of helped her.

"You know, I never thought I'd be at one of these parties talking to you"

Rick nodded as if he was listening, though he was wondering how long it would take for her to lose her balance and fall.

"I mean… no offence but I thought you were the bugged jerk, I never understood why Michonne hung out with you"

"I would have never have guessed", He watched her sway back and forth.

"I remember when you tried to smoke in the science lab"

"Yep. That was me"

She leaned in a little, "I probably shouldn't even tell you this because I've never told anyone but I think I actually had a little crush on you"

She had his full attention now, "Uh…"

"It was like in the ninth grade so don't panic, but I thought you were a little cute-"

"And I think it's time for you to stop drinking" He leaned forward with the intention to take the cup from her hand but was obstructed from doing so by her lips crashing into his. He pulled away quickly and frowned at her with complete disbelief, while she slapped her hand over her mouth in shock.

He hoped off the counter and snatched the cup away from her.

"Rick, I am so-"

"Don't" He warned, "Shane will give you a ride home when you're ready to leave"

He stepped past her but stopped when he saw Jessie stood with raised eyebrows, only a foot away from them both. She shook her head and wagged her finger at him, before spinning on her heel and snaking her way through the crowd. Rick dragged his hand over his face in despair, realizing he probably should have gone straight home


	19. Chapter 19

"You didn't wake me up last night"

One of Rick's eyes popped open and looked at her. She pulled the comforter back and climbed in the bed beside him. He groaned as he lazily lifted an arm to wrap around her.

"Did you have fun?", She queried as she snuggled up beside him.

He groaned again.

She smiled at his closed eyes, "I'd take that as a yes"

He slowly opened both eyes and sighed, "Hey"

"Hi"

He sniffed and looked up at the window behind her, then around his room as he forced himself to wake up, "Time?"

"Four"

He groaned as third time and ran his hand over his face, "Damn, how did you get to work?"

"You're dad dropped me off"

"Oh, sorry about that, guess I was pretty tired"

She rested on her forearms as she leaned over, intending to give him a quick kiss, but he shook his head. She frowned down at him, "What?"

"I need to tell you about somethan' first"

Her frown stayed put, "What?"

He stared at her, his eyes looking a little more awake, and realisation hit her like and lighting bolt. She sat up in the bed, and so did he.

"What did you do?", She asked, feeling slightly panicked all of a sudden.

"Nothing… nothing like that anyway…. It was just a drunk… drunk move… on someone else's part", He explained, running his fingers through his hair.

"What does that mean? Who?", She pressed.

"...Lori…"

She eyes flew open and she stood from the bed, "What?"

He rose his hands up in front of him, "It was like a two second kiss, that's all"

She didn't know what she was expecting him to say, but she definitely wasn't expecting to hear that, "Lori kissed you?"

He threw his legs over the bed and held his hand out to her.

She pushed his hand away, "Rick, answer me"

He huffed, "Yes. Lori got a little too drunk. She realised she made a mistake after and Shane took her home not long after it happened"

"Why would she kiss you? She knows about us-"

"I don't know, I didn't exactly ask her why?"

Michonne shook her head as she thought about it. She was shocked to say the least, and quite hurt at her friend's actions. She was frowning so hard at the floor that she was giving herself a headache.

Rick stood up, planting himself in front of her, "I honestly don't think it was somethan'... I mean-"

"So did she just kiss you? We're you talking and she just kissed you?", For some strange reason she wanted to be able to picture what happened.

He winced, "Well basically, yeah"

Her shoulders fell as she deflated, "Great"

"I think you should talk to her. Let her rest a little then talk to her…", He placed his hands on her waist, "I'm not making excuses but you know how she is when she's sober… she thinks I'm the devil and I think she's a weirdo so it's not like-"

"I know, I know, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around you and other girls and now I have to try and forget about you and one of my friends-"

"Hey! There was no 'me and Lori', it was a drunk two second kiss and that's it. She didn't even get my lips properly… it was more the cheek area"

Her face crumbled in disgust, "Is that meant to make me feel better?"

He grimaced, "Cha-Cha, I don't know what to tell you to make you feel better but I'm trying…"

"I know you are", She sighed as she slipped out of his hold, "I need to go get ready…"

He put his hand out to stop her leaving, "Don't be like that, please. I mean I know it sucks, I get it, but I can't… we've barely spent any time together this week, and that sucks more to me, so I don't want the time we do spend together to tainted by some other mess"

She looked up at him as she bit her bottom lip, and she couldn't disagree with him, "Okay"

He smiled, "Thank you"

He wrapped his arms around her and swung her off the ground, "I've missed you, so can we screw the barbecue and just stay up here...and just screw"

She reluctantly giggled at his crude joke, "Hey! Stop that, people are already here!"

"That's even better, that means no one's looking for us", He grinned into her neck.

"Rick, later, but I promised your mom I'd help out and I have to leave around seven"

He pulled back to see her face, "What for?"

"Dinner! Remember!", She reminded.

He snarled, "You're actually going to that?"

"Yes, Rick. I am. I said I would", She insisted as he slowly put her down.

"I bet you didn't even tell that jerk Philip that you had a boyfriend", He sighed, letting go of her waist.

"Hey! You just said you didn't want our time together tainted by mess-"

"I know. I know. Fine. But how long are you gonna be gone?"

She shrugged, "I don't want to stay out too late. I'd like to get home at a reasonable time"

"I pick you up at eight then?"

She gave him an unimpressed look, "An hour, Rick?"

"You better eat fast", His devilish grin made an appearance and it tickled her core.

"I'm gonna have a shower. So should you"

"Yes Cha-Cha"

…

"What do you even talk about? I think I've been his other best friend for as long as you and I always struggle with them"

Michonne gave Shane a sympathetic look, "Just ask them how they're doing… how's work…"

Shane stared at her blankly, "How's work?"

"Yes…"

"What does his mom do again?"

"Judge"

"Dad?"

"Food production"

Shane raised his eyebrows, "Really?"

Michonne looked at him disbelievingly, "You didn't know?"

Shane shrugged, "I knew it was somethan' to do with food… thought he had a farm… or a couple cows…"

Michonne shook her head at him as she took a sip of her punch. She looked around the back yard for Rick, and saw him talking to his father by the grill. His mother wasn't far from them either them, and she wondered if he'd spoken to his mother since their awkward argument in the week. She doubted it, as his mother probably would have woken him earlier.

Her eyes lit up when she saw Sasha coming over to her with Daryl, "You made it!"

"Of course!", Sasha embraced her when she was close enough, "Tyrese's visiting, he dropped me off… and he's covering for me too"

"Oh really? He's here?"

"Yeah, only for a few weeks… probably don't want Rick to know that-"

"Know what?"

Rick raised his eyebrows at Sasha as slipped his arm around Michonne, "If it's about how much Cha-Cha loves me then I already know"

Michonne snorted, "Her brothers in town. I used to have a tiny crush on him when I was like twelve"

Rick tilted his head to look down at her, "Who was that?"

"Tyrese. He was the one that went off to college when-"

"Wait, is that the one you cried for?", Rick's arm dropped from her shoulders.

She gasped, her eyes widening as he relayed the secret information.

Sasha frowned at her, "You cried when my brother moved for college?"

"I didn't cry", She breathed through gritted teeth.

"Yes, you did. I remember you did", Rick insisted dryly, "So he's back in town, huh?"

She huffed, raising her hand to look at her watch, "Please, let me just enjoy the little time I have left here"

"Oh yeah, you have that dinner right?", Sasha questioned as she took a cup of punch from Glenn, "Daryl said we were going swimming later though?"

Michonne rolled her eyes up to Rick, "Really?"

"Yep. I was gonna surprise you but…", He rolled his eyes and pulled a face, "Forgot you had plans"

She furrowed her brow at him, "You still could have told me about it"

"It's fine, we'll go another time", He shrugged, swirling the contents of his cup.

She sighed, turning back to Sasha, "You wanna help me find something to wear later?"

Sasha nodded, "Sure"

"Come on"

…

"Oh great, you still have the cat…"

"She's harmless", Michonne picked Rocky up by the her middle and put her on the floor so that Sasha could sit down.

"She's definitely grown", Sasha didn't sound too pleased to admit it.

Michonne sat down on the bed, facing Sasha with a sigh, "I lied, I already know what I'm gonna wear, I have another problem"

Her eyebrows shot up, "Go ahead"

Michonne looked towards the door, knowing no one was upstairs but she still lowered her voice, "Lori kissed Rick-"

"WHAT?!"

Michonne put her hand over Sasha's mouth, "I need you to not do that"

Sasha moved her hand, hissing, "When?!"

"Yesterday? She was drunk he said?"

Sasha's eyes darted around the room as she tried to recall the memory, "Yeah, I think Shane took her home?"

"You didn't see anything?"

Sasha eyes dropped to the ground, "No… I was with Daryl so…"

Michonne nodded as she realised her friend wouldn't focus on anything or anyone else but Daryl.

"Was it like a long kiss? Quick kiss?"

"He said two seconds…"

Sasha winced at her, "Okay that's not that bad… well for him but what about her? Did he say why she-"

"He didn't ask. Well he said he didn't ask, but I can't imagine that they were just talking about pizza and she just tried to kiss him", Michonne dropped herself back on her bed.

"You have to talk to her about it, ask her if it was just a little mistake or if it meant something… and if it did then what the hell is wrong with her?"

Michonne agreed, "You're right... I just can't believe Lori? I wouldn't think she'd jump to kiss any guy… let alone Rick… ugh"

"I know…", Sasha gazed around the room, resting back on her forearms, "So this is your room?"

"Yeah"

"You don't share with Rick?"

"No… we do, I sleep in his bed at night"

Sasha tilted her head at her, "Have you two…"

Michonne looked at her and quickly understood while her sentence trailed off, "We have…"

Sasha's eyes almost bulged, she sat up straight and turned to Michonne on the bed, "I have questions"

Michonne sat up straight, hoping to seriously answer her questions, "Shoot".

"Scale of one to ten… how much does it hurt?"

She pursed her lips as she tried to remember, "I think maybe four? I mean it was uncomfortable but not enough to for me to want to stop"

Sasha nodded as she absorbed the information, "Have you done it since?"

"Oh yeah", Michonne smirked, "Now it's great. I mean, it was great the first time but now he's doing all these new things…"

"Like?", Sasha pushed.

Michonne frowned, "I don't know what they call it…and I can't remember the legit word for it… but he called it a personal visit…"

Sasha frowned with her, "A personal visit?"

"He…", Michonne used her eyes to signal to her friend.

Sasha's mouth fell agape.

"Are you curious?"

Sasha gave a half-hearted shrug, "We kiss… and we touch over clothes… but I'm pretty nervous… Maggie said all the same things you did so… maybe I just need to-"

"Only if you're ready, then give it a try. I was more ready than Rick, so don't be surprised if Daryl holds back a little"

"He's pretty relaxed… but I always kiss him first. He never makes the first move, unless we play fight or something"

"Awww", Michonne cooed, "He's a little shy. It's funny because I've seen him do some questionable things… but he's all shy around you"

"Cha-Cha!"

She looked towards the door, "Yeah?!"

He opened it, slipping his shoulder and head into view, "You don't want anythan' to eat before you leave?"

"I'm going out to eat Rick-"

"Yeah, so if you eat then you can order somethan' small when you go out. You'll be done quicker"

She raised her hand to protest, but realised it was a very good idea, as she did want to catch up on their time together, "Alright"

He grinned, "Well then, let's eat ladies"

…

"I actually want to work in construction… I'd love to oversee big projects like that"

Michonne nodded as Philip spoke, though she couldn't help but be slightly annoyed at the fact that it was only the two of them out for dinner. As he was the only person she was friendly with at the store, she assumed he would have invited the other workers, but strangely, he was the only person that turned up.

"So what did you get up to today?"

Michonne put down her drink, "Oh, I had a little graduation barbecue…"

"Oh really? With your family?"

"Well, my boyfriend's family did it for both of us", She was sure Rick would be glad to hear her finally tell the slightly older man.

"Oh, that's really nice of them", Philip picked up his own beverage, "You didn't do anything with your own family?"

She tried not to tense, "Well I consider them as my own family so…"

He paused, but only for a brief moment, "I apologise, I didn't mean to assume anythan'"

"It's fine. Let's just forget about it… So I take it you're not working at the store for much longer then?", She moved the salad around her plate as she tried to keep the conversation off her home life.

"Probably a few more months… then I'll start looking for jobs that I'm trained for"

She nodded, "That's a great idea"

"You plan to go away for college right? How's that going to work out… you gonna have a dorm out there?"

"I will but I'll still be here a lot", She stabbed a piece of lettuce with her fork.

Philip grimaced, "I hear it's hard though, you'll have a lot of studying to do… you might not always be up from travelling back into town"

She shoved the few leaves in her mouth as if they were thick cuts of meats, "I'll have to figure it out, but otherwise I'm excited about it"

"Philip?"

The two of them looked up to see a blonde girl stood at the table, her hands on her hips and her expression angry. Philip sighed and put down his cutlery.

"Who the hell is this?", The blonde questioned, pointing at Michonne.

"Andrea, please-", Philip began to stand.

"Who are you? Did he tell you he had a girlfriend?", Andrea probed, her eyes locked on Michonne, "Did he meet you online?"

"We aren't- we work together. That's it", Michonne explained, slowly slipping her phone out of her purse.

"Oh! Another one you work with Philip? Really?"

Philip took her arm, "Andrea, let's go outside-"

"No!", She yanked her arm away from him before leaning on the table, still looking away to Michonne, "Have you slept with him?"

"Ew! God no!", Michonne recoiled in horror.

Philips looked at Michonne shocked, while Andrea burst into laughter, "Oh that's the best reaction I've gotten to that question! She looked genuinely mortified at the suggestion!"

"Madam, can you please keep it down-"

Andrea waved away the waiter, "Alright, alright, go away".

"What are you doing?", Philip watched Andrea slide into the booth.

"Well since this isn't a date, I'll join you! And here I was, ready to catch you out again. You're paying by the way", Andrea cackled, nudging Michonne, "Wait. How old are you?"

"Eighteen…" Michonne winced.

"Oh good, my boyfriend's not a complete asshole. Hey, waiter! Keep the food and show me the booze!"

Michonne was unsure how much time had passed, she just knew she had enjoyed her evening with Andrea, and was a little disappointed when Rick told her he was coming to get her. The twenty one year old reminded her Paula, and wouldn't be surprised if the two of them got on like a house on fire.

"So where's this boyfriend of yours? Is he cute?", Andrea grinned, hand on her hip.

"I'm right here", Philip bit out.

"I know", She countered with a curled lip.

"Oh, here he is", Michonne announced, as Rick's car pulled in to the parking lot.

"Wait… isn't that", Phillip muttered.

Michonne pursed her lips, trying not to laugh. The whole situation was quite comical to her, as her co-workers plan obviously backfired terribly, and she hoped it would teach him a lesson for being deceitful.

Rick stepped out of his car and rested his arm on the hood.

"Rick, this is Andrea… Andrea this is Rick", Michonne introduced quickly.

"Well hello! You are cute!", Andrea nudged Michonne for possibly the hundredth time in those few hours they had spent together.

"Thanks…", Rick gave a crooked smile, "Well, hope y'all had fun…"

"We did! Next time you're invited!"

A sound that could only be described as a growl left Philips mouth, while Michonne made her way to the passenger side, "Well, thank you for dinner! I had a great time!"

"Same here! You have my number so call me!", Andrea waved to her.

Michonne knew Rick was dying to ask her about the night but obviously waited until they were driving away to do so. She explained the whole evening to him, ignoring the occasional 'I told you so's.

"I think Shane's hooked up with his girlfriend before… she looked familiar…", Rick squinted at the windshield, trying to remember.

"Really?"

"Yeah… or maybe he liked her or somethan'? I don't know… but I bet if he saw her he'd remember", Rick smirked.

"Has everyone left?", She asked as she glanced over at him.

"A few of my parents friends are still there, having coffee and talking all night long", He rolled his eyes.

"Oh… Do we have to stick around?"

He snorted, "No. Why?"

She gave a little shrug, "Just asking. I had to do that with my parents"

It was his turn to glance at her, "What? Stuck around when they had guests?"

She nodded as she looked out the passenger window, "Yeah…"

"Well, you don't have to"

She continued to day dream and look out the window, though she could tell the mood changed. He was thinking about what she had just said, and she almost wished she hadn't said it.

"You remember… when your mom caught us in the bushes that time…"

She flinched at the memory, instantly hoping to submerge it again, "No."

He glanced at her for a dangerously long time, before he relented, "Alright".

She breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't know what made him being it up but she hoped he wouldn't be so careless again.


	20. Chapter 20

"This is nice"

Rick smiled in to Michonne's neck, his breathing slowly returning to normal, "It is".

"I don't think we can spend the day like this though…"

He pouted against her skin, "Why not?"

"Your parents. That's why not", She insisted.

He pulled a face, though she couldn't feel it, "The doors locked. We'll pretend we're not home"

"Oh okay, so if we're not home then who locked the door?"

He frowned, "Oh stop it. Little miss know it all"

She giggled, "My legs cramping"

He groaned and sat up, forcing himself off her. He slowly withdrew himself and froze, when he noticed the empty condom.

"Uh…", Was all he could muster as he pulled it off.

"What?", She asked, sitting up on her forearms and looking at him.

He raised his eyebrows as he examined the apparent failed protection, "Uh… this is going to sound a little cliché but… the condom broke"

She looked from him, to his hand, to him again, "What?"

"Yeah, it looks like the condom-"

"How? How, Rick?"

He frowned at her, "Uh, I don't know, friction? Maybe?"

"Oh my god", She groaned as if she was going to be sick.

"Okay, let's not panic-"

"Oh my god", She repeated, holding her head as she paced the bedroom naked.

"Not now", Rick hissed down at his lower half, as his member grew excited at the sight of her body again, "Look, don't worry, we can get somethan' for this right? Something for accidents?"

She looked at him, though something about the way her eyes darted around his face, suggested that she wasn't listening to him.

"Hey hey, Michonne, it's fine okay? Don't panic", He assured, feeling eerily calm himself.

"What if- what if?"

He shook his head at her, "Okay, let's not worry about that. Let's just focus on getting the thang to… stop that thang…"

"It's Sunday Rick, nothings open on a Sunday!"

He froze, realisation kicking in, "Tomorrow. Tomorrow we will go bright and early-"

"I have work tomorrow, Rick! And you have your exam!", She shouted, only inches from his face.

He bit his lips together, shocked, "As soon as I finish, I'll go get whatever it is you need-"

"Will they sell it to you without me present?!"

"I'm trying here Michonne!", He snapped.

She pulled away from him angrily, snatching her night dress off the floor.

He sighed, pinching his nose bridge, "Look. I don't want us to panic"

"I know. But we are", She pulled the dress over her head with a huff.

"Worst case scenario-"

"Don't. Say. It", She warned, sitting back in his bed.

He squinted at her, "I was going to say, we get it on Tuesday… what did you think I was gonna say?"

She shook her head as she dropped it in her hands.

He bent down and picked up his sweatpants, yanking them on as he watched her. He sat down beside her on the bed, whole heartedly confused as to why she panicked so quickly.

"I think I'd make a great dad"

Her head whipped around to look at him and he couldn't help but grin.

"I'm kidding! Of course I wouldn't. I always kick Rocky by accident if she's on the floor.. And she's getting fat, so it's not hard to miss her"

It was her turn to shake her head at him, "Rick-"

"I know. I know. My timings is horrendous"

She sat up and looked at him with worried eyes.

"It's fine. We won't have kids until we're at least twenty five. Okay?"

She scoffed at him and he grabbed hold of her waist, chuckling against her cheek, "You are just full of jokes aren't you?"

"This is why you love me", He hummed.

"Has this ever happened to you before?", She asked seriously.

He frowned as he thought, "Uh… No? I don't...oh wait, no, it did. It did…"

"With who?"

He grimaced, "Don't think you wanna-"

"Tell me now"

"Karen. First time we did it"

Her jaw hung.

"I know. I know. But obviously nothing came of it-"

"How long were you sleeping with her for?", She probed.

He pursed his lips, "Why?"

"I want to know. Just curious. Was she someone you saw consistently? Was she around for the longest?"

"Cha-Cha, I don't wanna-"

"Rick just… You know everything about me", She huffed, turning around to face him completely, "I can't help but be curious about that side of you… and it would save me a lot of surprises if I knew who… and when"

He studied her serious expression, then tried to remember the information she was requesting, "I slept with Karen for… four months"

She nodded, "That the longest?"

"Yes."

"So who did you first sleep with?"

He frowned, his mouth opening and closing a few times, "I honestly… wish I could tell you. I was drunk. It was at a party. I just remember it being over almost instantly"

She watched him with a sad stare, "That sucks…"

He shrugged, "I didn't really care. Still don't"

She rested her head on his shoulder, "This all way too much for a Sunday morning"

"I've done worse".

"I believe that"

…

"As soon as she walks through that door, I'm out of here"

"Fine, Rick", Michonne sighed, looking over her shoulder at the door.

"This is just so awkward. You couldn't have had this conversation on the phone… while we were at home… in bed?"

"No, she's still my friend and I want to talk to her face to face-"

"What is this 'face to face' thing you have going on? Do you think people can't lie to your face?"

She almost glared at him, "Rick, I just prefer to see people when I'm having serious conversations with them"

He groaned and dropped his head back against the seat, "Why couldn't I wait in the car?"

"Because, I didn't want to sit by myself…", She shrugged.

"You wouldn't have been by yourself, she would have come and met you and I would have been watching from the car. Now it's awkward if she sees me when she comes in-"

"She would have seen you anyway! Your car is right there!" She pointed towards the window.

"She may not notice it. I don't notice other people's cars-"

"How would I have gotten here Rick? How?"

He felt a little defeated, but couldn't help but grin, "You know we're starting to argue like an old married couple?"

A smile grew on her face, "What?"

"You notice it, right?"

"We used to argue before though?"

"Yeah but now we get to kiss and make up", He reached for her hand, but quickly pulled away and slid out the booth when he saw Lori walk in.

He kept looking straight ahead as he walked to the other side of the diner, until he bumped in to someone just as they hoped out of their seat.

"Oh, sorry, excuse-"

Rick's mouth clamped shut when he realised it was his old principal, Mrs Niedermeyer, and his father sat at the table with her. Now Rick wouldn't have thought anything of the situation, as both his parents knew his principal well and they had often spoken outside school premises.

But the look on both their faces, was a look Rick knew all too well, as he had worn the same look when he was caught doing something he wasn't meant to.

"What's going on here?", He directed the question at his father.

"What do you mean? We're just here for lunch?", His father played off.

Rick looked at Mrs Niedermeyer, who quickly nodded in agreement, "Lunch? The two of you are here for lunch?"

"Yes. What's the problem, son?"

Rick nodded as he took out his phone, "So this is just a lunch? Do you two do this often? I don't think I've ever seen the two of you together without my mother or your husband?"

"Rick, we are allowed to meet up and catch up-"

"If I call my mother right now, she'll confirm that she knew about this? She knew you two like to meet and catch up?", Rick held his phone up for both of them to see.

His father straightened up an inch, "Yes".

Rick looked out the window for a moment, scanning over the vehicles, "Where's your car, dad?"

His father swallowed, "At the next lot. There weren't any parking spots when I arrived"

Rick stared at his father, before tapping the screen of his phone.

His father stood from his seat and Rick stepped back, looking at him in complete shock. He felt sick to his stomach with both of them.

"So the two of you, huh?", He cocked his head at his principal, then his father, "How long?"

"Son. Sit down please-"

"How long?", Rick pressed, his brow furrowing.

"Rick. I know what you're thinking, but I've kept things for you, and I'd appreciate if you-"

"What?!", Rick stepped closer to the table, "Was I married? Was I cheating on my wife?-"

"Lower your voice, now", His father nearly growled.

"If you didn't want my mother anymore, why the hell… why the hell-"

"Watch your tongue boy-"

"You gonna make me?", Rick taunted, eyes flashing with rage.

"Hey, hey, hey", Michonne slid between the two of them, trying her best to push Rick back, "Rick? Can you come outside, please?"

He didn't answer, he didn't break eye contact with his father either, but he allowed her to push him towards the entrance.

His hands were shaking, and he had never felt so overwhelmed. Out of both his parents, he was always so much closer to his father, he even looked up to him at one stage so naturally, he couldn't believe how betrayed her felt.

"Was that what I think it was?", Michonne asked, looking over at the eatery from his car.

"Yep", Rick chuckled disbelievingly, "Her and my dad. My dad and the fucking principal are, well they're fucking"

Michonne's head dropped, "Oh god".

"Yeah…"

"I'm so sorry, Rick", She breathed, looking up at him.

"So am I…", He dragged his hands over his face.

"What are you going to do?"

He threw his hands up in the air, "Well, either wait for him to tell my mom or tell her myself?"

She cringed, "Well he has no choice. I think he knows you're willing to tell her, so the sooner he does it, the better"

"He couldn't even tell me how long…", Rick shook his head as he walked back and forth of there the same spot.

"Come on. Let's not stand here going over it because only he has the answers", She encouraged, "We can go for a walk or something?"

"Nah… I think we should be at home right about now", He sighed, walking around to the driver's side.

Rick had always referred to his temper as cold and calculating, as he was never one to just jump up and attack. He preferred to taunt, to gently chip away at someone's patience until they snapped. He was sure that's why he and Shane worked so well together.

That day however, was a new day, and Rick discovered something about himself. His temper could be just as fierce, because once he spotted his father's car parked at the next parking lot, a rage took hold of him. Rick took the turn late, unintentionally flinging Michonne around in her seat, and parked up behind the luxury vehicle, and he got out of his own car, ignoring her protests. He opened his trunk and took out a crowbar, which coincidently, he kept due to his father's advice, in case he ever got locked out of his car.

"Rick!"

He continued to ignore Michonne as he took the first swing at the windshield, which was a nice, healthy swing too, as it landed right in the centre. Rick hit around the perimeter, until the whole thing came loose, and the cracked panel fell in to the car. He moved on to the back window.

"Rick, Please!"

He brought the crowbar back, ready to dismantle it the same way her had the windshield, when he felt a punch land in his arm, which not only surprised him because it hurt, it also surprised him because it was Michonne that delivered the blow.

"Did you just hit me?", He held his arm, looking at her incredulously.

"You weren't listening to me-"

"Michonne-"

"No! You need to stop and get back in the car. Now!", She pointed.

He didn't immediately move. He wanted to continue the task at hand, but he didn't want to risk another hit either. He began to walk towards his car, but snuck in one last hit to the tail light, not completely shattering it, but still doing enough damage.

"Alright. I'm done"

…

Rick walked in to the kitchen later at that night on high alert. His mother was in her study, while his father hadn't arrived home yet. He was waiting for him, and found he couldn't sit still.

As much as he couldn't stand his mother for her lack of presence in his childhood and adolescence, he still cared for her, even though it was one of the things he'd never admit it. He didn't think she deserved to be treated that way but two people she trusted. He wondered if his mother ever suspected anything, as he didn't, and he spent more time around his father then his mother had.

When he heard the front door open, he repositioned his stance behind the counter, ready for the confrontation.

His father walked on to the kitchen, and stopped at the sight of his son, "You have some nerve-"

"Seems to be a lot of that going around though, right?", Rick tapped the counter top surface.

"You need to realise that you are going about this all wrong-"

"Wouldn't it have been nice if this situation didn't exist at all? I didn't have to bump into you and your mistress in the diner-"

"She is not my mistress!", He hissed, stepping closer to the counter.

"Then what is she?", Rick tilted his head at him.

"I do not have to explain myself to you-"

"Fine. But you have to explain it to my mom", Rick shrugged.

His father sighed, resting one hand down on the counter and the other on his hip, "Do you realise what it is you're asking me for? Do you know what that would do to her? Your mother… she doesn't deserve that… or me… I know she doesn't, but I still want to make her happy. I can't just throw somethan' like that in her face, it would absolutely crush her. I'm wrong for what I did. I am and I know that I am-"

"I'm glad you can admit that…", Rick nodded as if he agreed with his father's sentiments, before calling from the top of his lungs, "MOM!"

His father jumped, looking at the kitchen hallway to his son, "What on earth-"

"Tell her, or I do. And you don't want me to do it", Rick walked around the counter, sitting on a bar stool instead, while his father's eyes darted around the kitchen.

"Rick?!"

"In here!"

His mother came in to the kitchen, her face a picture of confusion, "What's wrong? What's going on?"

Rick said nothing, instead he just stared at his father, whose chest began to rise and fall quicker.

His mother narrowed her eyes at the two of them, "What is it? What happened? Frank?"

Frank had been reduced to a stuttering mess, "I didn't want to have to do this… I really didn't-"

"Frank?"

"You know I'll always love you Eileen. You know that… but, things have been hard for us for years. Year and years", Frank rested both hands on the counter.

Rick watched him with his lip curled in disgust.

"Frank…"

"I've been seeing someone else Eileen".

His mother froze, her hand still on his hand, though her eyes were wide with shock. Her gazed dropped from the side of his face, down his arm and to his hand, and she removed her hand from atop his.

"I am sorry-"

"You knew? How'd you know?", She turned her attentions to Rick.

"Saw 'em today", Rick answered with some difficulty.

His mother's eyes narrowed to thin lines, "Who is she?"

Rick looked to his father to answer.

"Shelly", He breathed out.

His mother's eyes trailed around the kitchen as she tried to put the name to a face, but her gaze locked on Rick when she realised who it was, "Mrs Niedermeyer?"

Rick gave a very small nod to signal she was correct.

She stepped away from Frank with nothing but disgust written all over her face, "The fact. The fact that he had to catch you, for you to have even told me anythan'... how long?"

Frank sighed, bowing his head, "Does it matter?"

"How long you damn dog?", She growled at him.

"Three years".

She almost stumbled back.

As much as Rick wanted to expose his father, he didn't take in to consideration how hard it would be to watch his mother's reaction.

"Three? Three goddamn… three?", She shook her head disbelievingly, "How many times have you told me you loved me in the last three years?"

"I do-"

"No you don't! Don't you dare! Don't you dare! I didn't give a damn how bad it got! You were my husband and I wouldn't dream of even having a one night stand! And you have an affair for three goddamn years!", She screamed at him, almost tip toeing as she pushed herself in his face.

Rick stood from the bar stool and made his way over to her, hoping to take her away from him.

"We've celebrated anniversary after anniversary, not once have you told me you told me you wanted out-"

"I don't want out. I don't, Eileen", Frank insisted.

She frowned at him, stepping back to look at his face, "You don't want out? You just want a wife and a girlfriend?"

"I just want you Eileen. I know that now-"

She scoffed, chuckling at his boldness, "Now you want me. When our eighteen year old catches you, you want me? Now I'm the only one, huh? Oh Frank. And to think that uptight mother of yours thought you were too good for me. If only she could see what kind of man her son turned out to be! A pig!"

Rick tried to take hold of her arm to nudge her away but she was determined to confront her husband.

"Let me tell you somethan', the two of you have been selfish, and you will have wrecked a lot of lives, but I'm glad that you did, because you two deserve-", her breath caught in her throat, but she wasn't going to let tears stop her, "You deserve each other. I may have sacrificed a lot of time with my family, but I did it for my family, and I have never been dishonest, or deceitful to any of you-"

"Eileen, please-"

"You better call Shelly! Now, get the hell out of my house!"

His mother spun on her heel and stormed out of the kitchen. Rick couldn't help but while the corner of his eyes as the tears almost fell. He dragged his hand over his face and walked over to the kitchen entrance, switching off the light on his father as he walked away.


	21. Chapter 21

Michonne felt a horrible atmosphere when she awoke in the house that morning. She had heard Rick's mother shouting at his father the night before, and didn't leave his room after their confrontation. She didn't know how to behave in a situation such as that one.

She couldn't get read on Rick either. She knew he was upset it all, but he wasn't even showing her that.

She had just had a shower and made her way back to her room, when she found him sitting on her bed, his elbows on his knees as he stared off in to space. She closed the door behind her and approached him with caution.

"What's wrong?", She asked gently as she joined him on the bed.

He shook his head, though he didn't look at her, "I'm just, I'm so damn confused right now…"

"I think that's normal… even I'm confused"

"When he asked us if we were going out yesterday… I didn't think anythan' of it? I just thought… he's my dad he's asking… but he really wanted to know where we'd be so didn't run in to us…"

She gazed at him as he spoke, not entirely sure if she should say anything just yet.

"All those times… he'd ask me stuff like that and I'm thinking… was the what he's been doing? I thought he was just showing an interest but… he was really just trying to cheat in peace…", He squinted at the wall in front of him, "I know they've always been lenient with me...I know my mom was because she was hardly around any way but… I don't know if he was because he was guilty for what he was doing or if he just didn't care, he had another life that he was interested in…"

She sighed, resting her hand on his thigh.

"And Mrs Niedermeyer… no wonder she let me get away with so much shit…", He shook his head in disbelief.

"I'm sorry Rick…", She whispered, laying her head on his shoulder, "It sucks…"

"It does… it really does…", He huffed as he finally looked towards her, "I don't think he loved my mom. He said it but… how can you do that to someone you love? I'd never do anything… I couldn't even dream of being with anyone else but you"

Her heart sighed at his words, "Me neither"

"Really?"

Her brows knitted together as she sat up to look at him, "Of course not, Rick?"

He bit his lip as looked down at her with tired eyes.

"I love you. A lot. More than candy"

He smirked, "Well, more than candy, huh?"

"Way more", She smiled as she nudged him.

"That smile of yours", He grinned as he sat up straight. He rested his hand on the base of her neck as he kissed her, brushing his lips against hers.

"Rick… I have work", She urged, attempting to pull away from him but failing miserably.

"We got a little time for some fun", He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her, "If you go on top, I won't last long anyway"

She giggled as she tried to stand up, but he tugged her towel away, making her yelp in surprise, "Rick!"

"Yes?", his eyes roamed her body as he sat back and pulled his sweatpants down, his erection springing to life.

She frowned down at his member.

"I'm always ready for you", He winked, "Come take seat"

She didn't know who was worse out of the two of them. While it seemed he didn't have to do anything to turn her on, he was indeed always ready for her.

After gyrating her heat against his length and coating him in her passion, she lifted herself off his lap to slip him inside. She swallowed him whole, resting her hands on his knees as she readied herself.

He laid back on the bed, propping his head up with a pillow, "I definitely won't last long"

She brought her feet up on the bed, planting them flat on the mattress. She began to grind on him, rocking her hips back and forth while he gripped her ankles. He felt sensational.

"Where the hell…", He breathed out, "Did you learn this?"

She gave him a half-hearted chuckle, more engrossed in how he felt than what he was saying. Riding him was becoming one of her favourite things to do, and as she discovered from their prom night, she was good at it.

Getting so wrapped up in the moment, she slipped her hand down to her clit and began to rub herself feverishly as she bounced on his shaft.

He groaned beneath her, "This isn't fair"

She felt a familiar tension building with in her, so she shifted her position, leaning forward and resting her hands on his chest. She swirled her hips as she engulfed him, and the new feeling from the new position left her speechless.

She knew Rick was ready to come, as his grip tightened and he breathed out curse words through his gritted teeth. She picked up the pace, bobbing up and down like her life depended on it and his hips soon came up to meet hers. He bit his lip as he emptied himself within her and watching him find his release always excited her even more, so much so that she could feel herself ready to shatter around him, and if there hadn't been a knock at the door, she would have.

"Michonne?"

She froze in horror at the sound of Frank's voice. She tried to lift herself off of Rick but he grabbed hold of her hips and held her down. She looked at him like he was completely inside.

Rick frowned at the door, "What?"

Her jaw dropped open as her eyes bulged.

"Rick?"

"Can we help you?", His tone was cutting and Michonne felt for him, but she couldn't think of a more inappropriate time for him to punish his father.

"I'd like to speak to Michonne before she leaves"

"What for-"

"Okay Frank! That's no problem I'll be down in five!", She called back, covering Rick's mouth with her hand.

"Alright then, thank you"

She exhaled as she heard his footsteps walk away from the door, "What the hell Rick?"

"What does he want to talk to you about?", He pulled a face at her, "You're my girlfriend, my business-"

"I'll find out once you let me off!", She hissed at him.

"You haven't come yet", He shrugged.

She sighed down at him, "I think the moments gone"

His eyes dropped to between her legs, "I can bring it back"

She was ready to protest, but once his thumb found her clit, she was at a loss for words again.

…

"I know you probably feel like you're in an awkward position right now and I'm sorry for that, I've made some terrible mistakes that's torn my family apart and I don't know if I can fix this…"

Michonne sat staring at Frank, feeling unsure of what to say for a second time that morning.

"I'll be staying elsewhere soon, but I'd hope we'd still be able to catch up as I really do see you as the daughter I've never had, and I know Rick wouldn't like that and I don't blame him, but maybe one day he'd want the same for he and I…"

She nodded at the man's request, "I… I wouldn't mind that Frank"

He gave her a sad smile, "I do hope I can fix all this… but I guess I just have to give them space right about now"

"Yeah… it's still raw so, they both just need room to calm down on their own"

He nodded in agreement, his eyes darting around the living room, "Yeah… well I don't want to keep you"

They both stood up at the same time, and he held out his arms for a hug. She fell in to his embrace, feeling a little guilty about her relationship with him, as she knew Rick wouldn't like it developing any further.

"Cha-Cha!"

They broke apart to see Rick stood by the front door, scowling at his father. Michonne held back a groan as she picked up her bag and waved to Frank. Rick opened the door as she quickly walked over to him, and the two of them left the home.

"What did he want?"

She shielded her eyes from the morning sun while they walked to his car, "He just… he just apologised, wanted to make sure things between us didn't change…"

He scoffed, "Well he should have thought about that before he cheated"

Michonne looked over at Rick nervously.

He raised an eyebrow at her, "What is it?"

She made her way around the vehicle, "He asked if we could still catch up…"

Rick looked at her, completely mortified, "You told him to fuck off right?"

"You know I wouldn't say that Rick!", She countered.

He was shaking his head when he stopped, his gaze jumping behind her, "Get in the car"

She looked over her shoulder, and saw what distracted him; her parents were stood in their front yard, both ready to go to work. She huffed, yanking open the passenger door and throwing herself in the seat. The last thing she needed was her parents witnessing them arguing, as she knew they would try to use it against her somehow.

"Why would you still talk to him?", Rick probed as he pulled out of the driveway.

"Rick, please understand where I fall in all of this-"

"I get it, you're in a tough spot, but you don't make it tougher by talking to him", He snorted dismissively.

"I can't just stop talking to him because of what he did, If it was vice versa I wouldn't stop talking to your mom either, they've done a lot for me and I appreciate them taking me in-"

"You don't owe him anythan'-"

"Yes I do!"

"That's my debt, not yours, you moving in was my idea, it was my request-"

"But they didn't have to! That's the point, Rick!"

"So that's going to be your answer to everythan'? You're gonna hold that over your head for the rest of your life?"

She groaned as she closed her eyes, "I don't want to talk about this anymore"

He shook his head as he looked out the windshield, "But you're willing to talk to him"

She squinted as she looked at the side of his face, "You're being ridiculous"

"Oh well", He shrugged, clenching his jaw.

She rolled her eyes as she looked out the passenger window. She knew he was still very angry at it all, but she wished he wouldn't take it out on her. The rest of the journey was made in silence, until they arrived at her store.

"I'm gonna get you the… thang for the thang. I'll come by on your break"

She mumbled an okay as she opened the car door, ready to leave when he took her by her arm.

"I really don't want us to argue about my parents"

"I know", She sighed, staring out in to the parking lot, "I've got to go, and I'm meeting Lori across the street for lunch so… try to come before then"

"Lori? What for?"

"We didn't get a chance to talk…"

He winced as he freed her, "Alright"

"Bye"

…

Michonne's knee bounced as she watched Lori walk towards her in the cafe. She didn't know why she felt so nervous to talk to her, but she knew she had to get over it fast.

"Hey", Lori sat down quickly, tucking her bag behind her on the seat.

"Hey", Michonne greeted back.

"Was everything okay with… you know… and his dad?"

She nodded as she prepared to lie, "Yeah… just a little misunderstanding"

"Oh okay…", Lori sighed, her hands fidgeting, "Should I just start from the beginning?"

"Please", Michonne agreed.

"Well, it was… I don't know, we were talking and I was just babbling on, and he moved and I just leaned in and… I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me…"

Michonne scratched at the wooden table with her index finger, "Do you like him?"

Lori's mouth opened and closed as a few times, before she finally answered, "I don't think I like him… I think I like the idea of him?"

Michonne frowned at her answer.

"I mean… I like how he treats you… he's like this complete jerk to everyone else but, he worships the ground you walk on and I guess that's what I want, but I don't like him… and I'm sorry I've made our friendship weird", Lori leant forward on the table and held her hands, "You're one of my best friends and I don't want that to ever change, and I will apologise to Rick again if you want"

Michonne shook her head, "No don't do that…"

"I saw him run from me yesterday?"

Michonne squinted past her, "Yeah… he just thinks it's best that you two-"

"Oh god, does he think I'm gonna try to kiss him again?", Lori let go of her hands as she sat back with wide eyes.

Michonne almost chuckled, "No, he just doesn't want to make it anymore awkward…"

"Great", Lori sighed, "Well, I guess it's a good think I'm going abstinence camp right?"

This time she did chuckle, "Yeah, I guess it is"

Lori smiled at her first only a moment, before looking down at the table, "I have made things weird haven't I?"

"Yeah", She agreed, her eyes roaming around them, "I don't want to have to worry about things like that Lori… I've always been able to trust you and this… it makes me really uncomfortable"

Lori nodded sadly, "I don't blame you, but I really am sorry"

"I know you are...We'll just see how things go, I guess?"

Lori nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah let's do that"

She didn't know what to expect from her relationship with Lori from that stage. While she did believe that she was sorry for what she had done, she wasn't sure she completely believe that she didn't like Rick. She didn't want to have to keep her friend at arm's length, but unable for her relationship with Rick to work, she'd have to.

She had lunch with Lori and left to go back to work, when she saw Rick's car pull in to the parking lot, followed by Shane's. She hoped he managed to get her the emergency contraception, as they had unprotected sex earlier that day.

He stayed in his car while Daryl got out, Shane and Glenn doing the same. She greeted them all with a wave.

"Hey Michonne, do you know where the security cameras are in the store?", Glenn asked as she approached the vehicle.

She frowned at him, "Uh… not really but I could find out...Why?"

His eyes darted around, "No reason"

She narrowed her eyes at him while she opened the passenger door.

Rick leaned over to the glove compartment and took out the small purple box and handed it to her, "The lady said that's the best one…"

She nodded as she took it out the box.

"How'd it go with Lori?", He queried, handing her an almost empty bottle of water.

She sighed, "Pretty good...I mean… we talked about it"

He nodded as he watched her take the tablet and swallow the last bit of water, "What did she say?"

"She likes the idea if you. Not you"

He frowned at her, "That's what she said?"

"Yeah. Why?"

He shook his head as he looked out the windshield, "Just weird. She's just weird"

She huffed as she sat back in her seat, "What are you planning to do at the store?"

He raised his eyebrow as he looked at her, "Nothing"

"Tell me, Rick"

He shrugged, "I'm innocent"

She shook her head as she looked at her watch, "I have to get going"

"Alright", He took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles, "No Grimes babies for a while"

"Your timing", She smirked as she watched him.

"I was thinking about names today"

Her eyebrows shot up, "Why?"

"I was just thinking. Don't you think about stuff like that?"

"Nope!", She opened the car door and slipped out, "And I don't think you should be either"

"You're no fun Cha-Cha!", He pouted.

She made her way in to the store to prepare for the second half of her shift. Monday afternoons weren't that busy in the grocery store, so she could get away with hanging around at the back. She was almost near the double doors when she collided with someone who was coming around the corner. To her dismay, it was Jessie.

"Oh, hey, you work here?", Jessie asked as she tilted her head.

She gave her a tight smile, "Yeah I do. Sorry I have to go-"

"Oh hey, don't be like that, I don't mean any harm, I know we've gotten off on the wrong foot before but really I'm on your side"

Michonne blinked at her.

"Look, we've all been wronged by Rick one way or another, and it's really our own fault because we know he sleeps around-"

Her face contorted in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that he and Lori made out. It was completely messed up and they shouldn't have done that to you-"

"Jessie, I already know what happened there-"

"Oh let me guess, he told you about it and said she kissed him right? No. She was standing there telling him how much she's liked him since like the ninety grade, and he leaned forward and kissed her and they made out. I know I'm not the only person that saw it happen"

Michonne stared at her.

"He's a dog. He's used to kissing who he wants and fucking who he wants, so you can't really expect him to sit and around and twiddle his thumbs when you're not around, right?"

Michonne stared at her, "Goodbye Jessie"

She stepped past the other girl, feeling a strange. She believed Rick, and she almost believed Lori, but Jessie's story actually made more sense. Neither Rick or Lori had told her what they were talking about when she kissed him, and it would seem plausible that Lori was declaring her liking for him before she kissed him. And it didn't help that Jessie said she wasn't the only person that saw.

Michonne felt sick to her stomach the more she thought about it, and this was turning out to be something she couldn't easily forget.


	22. Chapter 22

"How was work?"

Michonne shrugged as she folded her arms across her chest, "Okay"

"You feel like hanging out a little before we head home?"

She shook her head, "No"

He eyed her suspiciously, "What's up?"

She dropped her attention to her boots, "I saw Jessie today…"

He groaned at the mention of the other girl's name, "Really Cha-Cha? What did she say now?"

"She said she overheard Lori telling you that she's had a crush on you for a while?"

He froze, not expecting to hear her say that, "Oh… okay well, that's true"

"Why didn't you tell me that? And she didn't tell me that either-"

"I thought she'd be the one to tell you that side of thangs...", He explained calmly.

"Hearing it from Jessie made it ten times worse"

He winced behind her, "Yeah it probably is worse but so what? We've moved past it, right? She said sorry?"

He could tell by the way she stared at him that she was still very annoyed with the discovery. She said nothing else, instead just stepped past him to the passenger side of the vehicle and got in. His face crumbled as he muttered a few curse words, scraping his fingers through his hair. He joined her in the car, not quite sure what the problem was, as in his mind, what Lori said was far less damaging than what she did.

"What exactly are you mad about?", He asked once they pulled out of the grocery store parking lot.

She sat facing away from him, her head propped up by hand as she leaned on the door, "Just forget it Rick"

"No. Tell me? Just because I didn't tell you what she said-"

"Rick, when you ask me to stop talking about something you don't want to discuss, I drop it right?" She whipped her head around to look at him.

He snuck a glance at her before he turned a corner, "This isn't just anythan' though-"

"What does it matter? I said just forget it because I'm not letting what Jessie said bother me anymore! That's it! So can we leave this alone?"

He nibbled on his lip as he tried not to say anything else. He truly hated arguing with her, and didn't like to leave things unresolved, but he also knew he needed to let her calm down.

The drive home was a silent one, and it grated on him. She continued to sit facing away from him and he didn't realise that her body language could make him so uncomfortable. He was looking forward to getting out of his car as they drove down the street they lived on, until he saw two police cars parked outside her parents' house. They both perked up as they pulled into their driveway.

Two officers were stood at her parents open from door, both looking over at the teens as they stepped out the car.

"You wanna go over?", Rick asked as he looked over the roof.

She slowly nodded, walking cautiously around the vehicle. Naturally he would have gone over with her but he knew the police would rather speak to her in private. Other neighbours stood outside their homes, watching from afar, which annoyed Rick as he knew Michonne hated being seen as some sort of spectacle.

She approached to two older men, and they had a short exchange, before directing her in the house. She looked over at Rick before she did, her hand signalling for him to go. He watched them enter, then made his way over to his own home, just as his mother pulled up. She wore the same confused expression they had as she looked at their neighbours.

Rick waited for her by the front door, knowing she'd fire an array of questions at him, "We don't know yet, she's just gone over there"

His mother frowned at him, "Her mother? Father?"

Rick matched her look, "I literally just said we don't know yet. We got here about a minute ago and they were outside"

His mother looked back at the house in question, "Hopefully it's nothing too serious"

Rick agreed, though he didn't say anything.

"Is he in there?", his mother asked, eyeing her own home.

He shrugged, turning to open the front door. He had no intention of looking for his father, he hadn't done since his affair came to light. As far as Rick was concerned, his father was just hanging around like a bad smell, and he wanted nothing to do with him.

His mother followed him in the house, heading straight upstairs, while he went to the kitchen, where two his dismay, he found his father cooking. Rick scowled at the sight as he made his way to the fridge. His father glanced over at him, but said nothing, continuing on by the stove.

It was only when Rick was leaving the area did he finally say, "Dinners at seven"

Rick stopped dead in his tracks, turning his head a fraction but keeping his gaze on the other side of the kitchen, "What?"

"Dinner's at seven", His father repeated slower.

Rick looked over his shoulder at him, disgusted. He and his parents hadn't eaten dinner together for years and he had no interest in starting now, especially as he wanted nothing to with the older man. He walked out the kitchen annoyed, with every intention of staying in his room for the rest of the night.

…

It was getting late in the evening when Michonne finally came back. Rick was laying on his bed, half-heartedly watching a movie when she appeared in his room. He sat up, and watched her trudge across the room, throwing herself down on the bed.

"He's been performing illegal marriages"

Rick frowned down at her, "What does that mean exactly?"

"He and his friends… have been finding young girls to marry these older guys…", She sighed, her eyes on the ceiling, "Remember when he used to disappear a lot? Well… that's why"

Rick's eyebrows crept up, "Damn"

"Yeah. Sucks, right?"

"…Where did he-"

"We don't know yet. We don't know how or where but we'll find out soon enough"

He huffed, unsure of what to say to such a revelation, "Your mom?"

She sighed as she closed her eyes, "She's… pretty shocked. Very shocked. Obviously they're both big fans of marrying young but… not that young…"

He winced, "How young are we talking?"

She groaned, "We just know their under eighteen so, too young"

He shuddered at the thought.

"I'll go see her after work tomorrow…"

He took her hand in his, "Sorry…"

She stroked his thumb with hers, "…How were things over here? I saw a plate of food on the dining room table?"

He rolled his eyes, "He made dinner and told me to come down for it at seven"

Her eyebrows rose, "Oh really? That's... well-"

"I don't wanna talk about him", He quickly dismissed, snaking his hand beneath her to pull her on top of him, "I just wanna lay with you for a while"

She sighed, but still flashed him a smile, "Alright Mr Grimes"

"Thank you Mrs Grimes", He grinned, "I like the way that sounds"

"So do I", She giggled as she brushed his hair from his face, "One day we'll get married and have kids and have a white picket fence-"

"Uh, no", He snorted, "We'll be cooler than that. We'll live in one of those fancy apartments"

"So you do want to be a rock star", She teased, "I knew it, you'd have all these girls chasing you and throwing their underwear in your face-"

"I can tell you what I'd rather have on my face", He raised his eyebrow at her.

Her eyes widened, "Stop!"

"You have never told me to stop", He chuckled, "In fact I think it's the other way around"

She covered her face with her hand as she tried not to laugh.

"Don't hide from me", He ordered, and she moved her hand, causing him to smile back at her, "There's my favourite girls smile"

…

"We haven't done anythan' wild in a little while"

Rick almost didn't want to look at Shane, knowing he was concocting a mischievous idea in his head. He felt as though he was doing so well when it came to behaving himself, and he could say the same for his best friend, but he knew it would only last so long, "We won't be able to do anythan' like that when we join the force"

Shane scoffed, "Exactly! Now's the time! While we still can!"

Rick smirked at him, "What have you got in mind?"

Shane grinned at him, "Road trip"

Rick's eyebrows fell into a frown, "Where?"

"I don't know, the city? Maybe for the night? Go up there and hang around a bit"

Rick hated the way his plan appealed to him, "I don't know-"

"I'm sure Michonne would come along"

Rick thought about it and he wasn't so sure, "I'll talk to her"

"You have to sell this, because we need to do it"

He nodded as he looked over his shoulder, his eyes scanning swiftly around the diner, until his eyes met with Jenny's and he quickly looked away. He groaned at his own awkwardness.

"You hear about Karen?"

Rick shook his head at Shane, "No?"

"She's pregnant"

Rick's mouth fell agape, "What? How'd you know?"

"Heard my mom and her friends talking about it"

Rick squinted at his friend, "Who's the?"

Shane leaned forward, "Apparently Mike"

Rick's eyes popped open, "Serious?"

"Yep"

Rick's eyes fell from Shane's as he thought about it, "But I swear they only started hanging out two weeks ago or…"

Shane nodded as Rick slowly realised what he was saying, "Yeah. Obviously they've been hanging out in secret a lot longer than that"

Rick cringed, "Oh god"

"Yep. You were probably getting that while she was pregnant-"

"Oh god, Shane!", Rick's face crumbled in horror.

"Think about it? If she's like three months or somethan' then she definitely… wait… you don't think-"

"No chance in hell", Rick quickly warned, raising his finger at Shane, "We used condoms. Always"

Shane shrugged, "Hey, just saying. You never know-"

"No, I know. And I'm so damn certain that I could bet my leg"

Shane snickered at him, though Rick was indeed very certain. After he and Karen had their first slip up months before hand, he was always sure to check the condom before and after sleeping with her. The fear had set him straight.

"So wait, wouldn't that mean he was cheating on-", Rick squinted as he came to another realisation.

"Yep. He probably was", Shane agreed bitterly.

"That son of a bitch-"

"He probably thought you two were at it as well. I would have thought the same thing if I was him" Shane admitted shamelessly.

Rick shook his head, "Well we weren't"

"But you are now?"

He knew Shane was fishing for information, and he gave his friend his best unimpressed expression.

Shane grinned, "You are aren't you? I already knew you probably were but I wanted you to tell me"

"If this was about any other girl then I would, and you know I would, but not Cha-Cha", Rick shook his head as he watched Daryl and Glenn walk through the door.

"You know I'd tell you if I had a girlfriend"

"Oh I know you will", Rick sighed, though a small chuckle escaped his lips.

"I was just telling Rick here that we should go on a little road trip soon", Shane informed Daryl and Glenn as they slid into the booth.

Glenn's eyes lit up, "Yes! Let's do it"

"Just the four of us?", Daryl prodded.

Shane snorted, "I hope not. Be nice to have some female company around"

"Now that's what I like to hear!", Paula giggled as she approached the table, "Hey guys"

Rick stepped aside to let her in the booth, as he knew she'd prefer to sit next to Shane more than anyone else. He found himself face to face with Jenny, and he gave her a crooked smile.

"Hey…", Her eyes darted around his face.

"Hey… Uh, let me get out of your way", He sat back down in the booth, though he hoped the seat would open up and swallow him whole.

"Can I get you guys anything?", She asked, taking out her small note pad and paper.

Rick kept his gaze elsewhere as she took his friends orders. He didn't realise how draining it was to avoid the girls he had slept with, and he was sure he got a more than friendly vibe from Jenny the last time he saw her, so he was hoping to keep it strictly platonic. Or he would just continue to awkwardly hide from her.

"So what are you going to be doing later?", Paula looked at him with a tilted head.

He shrugged, "Not sure, why?"

"You have a free night so I thought you'd be out somewhere"

He stared at her, "A free night? What's that?"

Her eyebrows fell a little, "Well since our girlfriend's staying with me tonight, you have a free night to go out"

His head jerked back as he raised his eyebrow, "Our girlfriend? Our girlfriend? When the-"

"Oh stop it! It's an expression", She cackled as she nudged him.

He knew she was only joking, but the insinuation was enough to annoy him. He was also very annoyed at having learned of their sleepover plans through Paula. Not that he didn't want her to enjoy herself with their friends, but she had also stayed over at her mother's home during the week as well. With her father gone, it seemed that she and her mother were reconnecting without his influence, and while he was happy for her, he couldn't help but feel slightly nervous about it.

After spending the afternoon with his friends, he headed over to the grocery store to pick Michonne up from work. The anxiety he felt when it came to his girlfriend was slowly returning again and it was wearing him down. He sighed as he got out of his car to wait for her, resting on the car door.

A scowl spread across his face when he saw her leave with Phillip. Michonne bid her co-worker farewell when she noticed him, and the other male gave Rick the same scowl back.

"Hey!", She smiled, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"Why do you still talk to him?", He questioned, resting his hands on her hips.

"I work with him, so I talk to him at work", She gave a small shrug, "Oh I was going to tell you-"

"You're sleeping over at Paula's tonight?", He thought it would be better to dive straight in.

She gave him an apologetic look, "Yeah, she came into the store today and I hadn't seen her in a while so… it's just the night?"

"You said that about your mom's, and you stayed over three nights in a row", He countered dryly.

Her eyes darted behind him as she registered the tone of the conversation, "Sorry Rick, I know we haven't spent that much time together this week but-"

"It's not just this week though is it? It's almost like you're going out of your way to make sure the most time we spend together is when I'm dropping you to work", He didn't expect the words to fly out of his mouth that way, but they did.

She took a step back, her eyes flashing with confusion, "What? Why would you even say that Rick?"

He was on a roll, "Because that's what it feels like! You're gonna be away for most of the week soon and instead of trying to spend time with me, it's like you'd rather spend it with everyone else or alone"

She huffed as she crossed her arms, "You know that's not true-"

"Ain't it? What, because we life together you think that automatically means we spend a lot of time together? Or have you turned over plans down to hang out with me? You don't even come out with me when I ask!"

"None of that is intentional!", She snapped back, but quickly shook her head, as if she was trying to clear her mind, "I don't want to argue about this Rick, I feel like we're always arguing about me going away or you and other girls and I'm so sick of it!"

"Alright, fine. You do whatever it is you're gonna do and that's it", He stood up straight, opening the driver door as he waited for her to get in the car.

She stepped closer to him, "What does that mean?"

"It means I'm not questioning it anymore, if you don't see a problem here then…", He threw his hands up as he shrugged, "Fuck it then"

"Rick-"

"We can drop it now, that's what you wanted, right?"

He looked down at her coldly, while she stared at him with disbelief. He never wanted to be so dismissive but he was angry with her. He couldn't believe how easy it was for her to be away from him so much, while it made him miserable.

The drive home was another quiet one. He missed the days when they couldn't run out of things to talk about, he was sure he could remember most of their discussions if he tried. He wondered if it bothered him as much as it bothered him.

"Aren't you coming in?"

He shook his head as he looked out the stared out the windshield, "Nah"

Her shoulders fell, "I was hoping to spend the evening with you before I left for Paula's"

"Go get your stuff, I'll drop you there now"

"I wanted to go later, Rick"

"Well I won't be around to drop you later", He sighed, finally looking over at her.

"Where are you going?", her hand dropped from the door handle as she frowned at him.

"Out", He shrugged. He knew he was being childish but, he wasn't in the mood to be the mature one.

She groaned, dropping her head back on the seat, "Rick, can we please just stop this horrible little game? I'm sorry I haven't put aside enough time for us but I was hoping we could spend some time together now"

"Well I made plans, so… sorry"

He could almost pinpoint the moment she lost her patience with him, "You know what, fine, go, I'll walk to Paula's later"

The car door swung open and she stepped out. He knew he would regret the move later but his pride wouldn't allow him to for now. He watched her march her way up to the front door as he took out his phone.

"We're leaving tonight"


	23. Chapter 23

"Mom?!"

"Up here!"

Michonne walked up the stairs of her parents' home, hoping to see her mother for a little while before she went to Paula's for the night. She glanced at her vibrating phone on the way up, making a mental note to call Sasha back when she left.

She found her mother in her bedroom, sitting beside a pile of her father's clothes, which were all in strips. Her mother tore through them with all large pair of scissors, then pulling the remaining material apart. Michonne winced at the sight.

"Just cleaning up", Her mother didn't skip a beat as she pulled apart a blue shirt.

"Mom…", Michonne approached her cautiously.

"I'm fine. I am. This is just very therapeutic for me"

Michonne's eyes scanned across the rest of the bedroom, and she noticed that spiritual pictures and statues from her parents church where missing. She sat opposite her mother, watching her destroy the clothing.

"You know, I always… always thought your father was right. He had all these people look up to him and I thought, they all wouldn't follow him if he was a bad person, right? So I was just another one of his sheep. He was older, wiser… he spoke with such conviction…"

Michonne held out her hand as he mother struggled with a pair of suit pants. Her mother gave her one leg, and the two of them pulled the trousers apart.

"He used to tell me, to go against your husband, is to go and against all that is pure… it sounds so stupid now when I think about it but… I never would have thought…", She huffed, throwing the leg down, "When he first insisted you marry young… believe it or not, I wasn't sure if I wanted that for you but he quickly dismissed any worry I had… and he had those damn women talk to me too…"

Michonne raised her eyebrows at her mother's mild curse word. She had never heard her mother speak in such a way.

"I've been a fool for too long. Way too long. I should have just… I wish I had-"

"You loved him…"

Her mother shook her head, "Not at first. I didn't know him… and we were married, living together… but I admired his attitude, his was calm and patient at first… admiration turned into appreciation...then love. It was only after we had you then I...I realised I did truly love him… he was great with you when you were a baby… even though I did all the dirty work. It wasn't his place he would say. Men look after the boys and the women look after the girls but I don't think he would have lifted a finger if you were a boy either"

Michonne helped her mother with another pair of suit pants.

"I hope you don't feel that same pressure… when you love someone, it's easy to fall in line with what they want to make them happy… but it shouldn't ever be one sided. You both have to compromise, and you both have to meet each other halfway. I never did that. Never. Your father's way was always the only way. It's been that way since we were your age"

Michonne thought about her argument with Rick before he left, but instead chose to change the subject, rather than discuss it, "So what happens now?"

Her mother shrugged, "Well. I'm going to have to wait to divorce him, can't do anything right now…"

She nodded slowly, knowing her mother was planning to rid herself of him, "The house?"

"I don't even want to stay here anymore to be honest. I mean, this was my home… I loved this house but… it feels so empty now. I'm just rattling around in it all by myself…"

"I understand…"

"How is it over at the Grimes?"

"I'm happy there. Mr and Mrs Grimes have looked after me…", She played with a strip of her father's shirt.

Her mother sighed, "No surprise that you like it better over there. They were always a very lenient family…"

"They still have their own set of rules… they're just not as strict as you and dad", Michonne shrugged, not sure she liked the new direction of the conversation.

"I've seen Rick come in at all hours of the morning-"

"Because he likes to be out. He can't stand being inside for too long or else he feels like a caged bird or something…"

Her mother paused her task to look at her, "You're not like that though?"

"No, I'm not. But we balance each other out, and I don't always need him home with me and he doesn't always need me out with him", She knew the last part of her statement was a little bit of a lie but she wasn't going to admit it to her mother.

"And you honestly want to marry him?"

"I do. He's my best friend"

Her mother's eyes searched her for a moment, before she continued on with the task at hand, without another word. Michonne was grateful that she left the topic alone, as she was in no mood for it.

…

"Hey there honey!"

Michonne smiled at Paula's mother as she pulled her in for a big hug, "Hello Linda"

"You staying with my little love child today?", Linda broke away from her to close the door.

Michonne tried not to pay too much attention to the woman's very revealing outfit, "Yeah…"

"Oh great! I've got a date tonight, so I probably won't be home this weekend but the fridge is fully stocked so you girls won't go hungry", the older woman stopped in front of the mirror and toyed with her waved red hair.

"Hey! Come on up!", Paula called, leaning over the stairs rail.

"I want you girls to come down and meet Bruce when he gets here, okay?", Her mother instructed as Michonne made her way up the steps, "I have a good feeling about this one"

Paula rolled her eyes, "Sure, we can't wait"

Michonne followed Paula to her bedroom, unsure about how she felt meeting her mother's new boyfriend. The other teen had warned her previously that her mother's taste in men was questionable.

Paula flung herself down on her bed, her phone in her hands, "Don't worry, she'll leave soon"

"Oh it's… okay", Michonne sat next to her, dropping her bag on the floor in front of her.

"What do you wanna do tonight? I know that sleazy Pete is having a party, or we can invite the girls over and have our own little party", Paula suggested with a grin.

Michonne shrugged, "I honestly don't mind, whatever you want to do"

"Well I think Rick would probably have a heart attack if took you out without him there to supervise", Paula cackled as she nudged her with her foot.

"He'll live", Michonne snorted, taking out her phone, "I just need to call Sasha back, maybe she'll want to come over"

"Yeah invite her", Paula replied, half distracted by her own advice.

"I was trying to call you!", Sasha hissed down the line as soon as she answered.

"Sorry! I was at my mom's… what's wrong?"

"Uh, well, let me see? I'm at a gas station outside town on my way to the city with Daryl and his friends! Why aren't you here!"

Michonne's brow furrowed, "What?"

"Yeah! Why aren't you coming?!"

"Sasha I didn't know about it! Rick didn't tell me anything!"

"He said you had plans already!"

Michonne huffed, running a hand down the side of her face, "We had a little argument earlier. Is he still mad?"

"Well… he's really focused on having a good time so… I guess so?"

She groaned, "Where is he?"

There was a moment of silence before Sasha spoke again, "In the store…"

Michonne frowned at her friend's tone, "Doing?"

There was another moment of silence, "He's talking to that girl… Jenny?"

Her eyes snapped open, "She's with you?"

"Yeah…", Sasha's tone was apologetic, "I think Shane invited her… she's not riding with us…"

To say Michonne felt uncomfortable would be an understatement, "Great"

"I'll tell him to give you a call-"

"Don't bother. It's fine, you have fun okay?"

"...Okay… I'll call you later"

"Bye"

She hung up and stared at her screen for a few seconds, unsure of what to do with herself.

"The boys left already then?", Paula nudged her with her foot again.

"Yeah…", Michonne laid back on the bed.

"Hey! Forget him, we can have our own little adventure here! We can head over to sleazy Pete's… get her my mom and her new boyfriend to drop us off and we'll let the night take us from there!"

Michonne sighed as she stared up at the ceiling, "Alright… fine"

…

Michonne wasn't sure if Pete's apartment was one you could have a party in. It was a very nice home, and looked like something out of a magazine. She hoped he was prepared for the possible damages it would incur. Paula held her hand as they snaked their way through to the dance floor. She wanted to dance and forget about her problems with Rick for the night, though he was still very much at the forefront of her mind.

It bothered her that he would go on a big trip like that and not tell her, or even invite her. She knew he thought she didn't care that they weren't spending as much time together but she did. Though, her mind was wired to see things differently, and the more time she spent away from him, the happier she would be when she finally did. She liked picturing him as her prize at the end of a busy day but she knew he wouldn't see it that way.

The teens danced to song after song, only taking a break to find a bathroom for Paula. Michonne wanted to stay in the centre of the makeshift dance floor for the rest of the night, but she did eventually get thirsty. She didn't know how Paula always managed to get so intoxicated so quickly, but she chose not to drink any alcohol herself, so at least one of them was alert.

"Michonne?"

She looked over her shoulder after grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. Mike was watching her with a pensive expression, stood only a foot away from her.

"Oh. Hey", She greeted, though her eyes were on Paula, who was pouring herself a new concoction of drinks.

"Wasn't expecting to see you here"

She nodded, "Well, here I am"

"Where's your friend?"

She knew it would be too much to expect him to not mention Rick, "Not here"

Mike's eyes scanned around them for a moment, "Is it true you two are a couple now?"

She sighed as she opened her water, "Yeah, it is"

Mike looked as if he was holding back a scowl, "So you two were messing around when we were-"

"No. We were not. We haven't even been together long"

He shifted his stance, "That's not what I heard"

"Well I don't care about what you heard. Unless it came from my boyfriend's mouth or my own, it's not true"

Mike's eyebrows shot up, "What's with this new attitude of yours?"

She stared at him, "You just tried to accuse me of cheating on you with Rick, what kind of attitude would you expect me to have?"

He stated back before looking away, "Fine, I was out of line for that"

She handed her bottle to Paula, who was leaning on the kitchen counter, swaying with hooded eyes, "Is there anything else I can help you with Mike?"

"Look, I really don't want there to be any bad blood between us Michonne. We're done with high school now and I don't want us to carry anything over from that"

She blinked at her ex-boyfriend. A part of her always felt bad for him, as Rick enjoyed tormenting the other teen, though Mike wasn't completely innocent as he had a horrible temper. She did agree with him though, as she had enough problems in her life and she didn't need anymore.

"Fine", She sighed, crossing her arms, "No hard feelings"

He smiled down at her, "Great…"

Paula stood up as straight as she could and raised her cup in the air, "Let's go dance!"

…

Michonne held Paula's hair back as she puked into a nearby bush, "You probably shouldn't have joined in that drinking competition. You've been drinking all night already"

"I know-" Paula attempted to answer her, but was interrupted by the urge to empty her stomach.

She sighed, bunching up Paula's hair in one hand so she could answer her ringing phone, "Hello?"

"Hey!", Sasha chirped, "Uh… what are you doing?"

"Paula's throwing up"

"Ah... well she's enjoying herself then"

"Where are you?"

"The guys are in some convenience store… I snuck out to call you"

"You didn't have to do that-"

"I don't like this Jenny girl… she's… a little too friendly"

Michonne froze, "To Rick?"

"Yeah-"

"Hey Michonne! You girls want a lift home?", Mike asked as he stepped out the apartment building with a friend.

"Who is that?", Sasha asked.

"Oh, uh, sure? Paula can't really walk straight", Michonne explained as Mike walked over to them.

"We can put her in the back, hey Terry! Open the door!"

"Terry? Mike's friend Terry? You're with Mike?", Sasha started hissing again.

"Thanks", Michonne flashed Mike a quick smile as he helped Paula over to his car, before turning the other way to speak to Sasha, "No I'm not with Mike, he was at the party and we kind of made up and now he's dropping me back to Paula's. That's it"

"Oh Michonne-"

"It's nothing like that!"

"I know it's nothing like that but we both know how Mike is! He probably thinks he can win you back or something-"

"Stop. That won't ever happen. He's dropping us home and that's it"

"Fine… but don't stick around and talk to him when he does, just get in the house and lock the door!"

Michonne couldn't help but chuckle at her friend, "Thanks for having no faith in me at all…"

"I do. I just don't trust him that much…"

Michonne frowned as she turned to watch the two males slide Paula in the car, "So Jenny…"

"Nope. Not now"

Michonne winced, then realised why her friend dismissed her, "Is she close by?"

"Very"

She sighed, "Okay fine. Call me in the morning or something".

"Will do. Bye".

"Bye".

She made her way over to Mike's car and got in the back with a sleepy looking Paula. She rested her friends head on her lap and sat back, with holding the urge to sigh.

She trusted Rick, whole heartedly, but a small part of her knew how reckless he could be when he was angry about something. She hoped he wasn't going to let that cloud his judgment while he was out with his friends.

Mike dropped Terry home before making his way over to Paula's. He kept the conversation light and friendly, and Michonne appreciated his efforts, as she didn't know what to talk about with her ex.

"Is she sleeping?", He asked, peering at her in the rear view mirror.

Michonne stroked Paula's hair from her face, "Yeah… she's out"

"You gonna need some help getting her up? I don't mind. She's skinny but… she's a little heavy too"

"It's a good thing she's didn't hear you say that", Michonne smirked, "You should never comment on a girl's weight"

He chuckled, "I'll make sure to remember that"

She looked out the open window, enjoying the early morning breeze on her face. The sky was slowly starting to brighten again, and she was glad she didn't have work to worry about.

"So are you excited about college?"

"Yeah, I am… what about you?"

He shrugged, "Well… if I'm still going then yeah…"

She looked to the rear view mirror to frown at him, "If?"

"Yeah… you know how life is, I mean I want to go but… sometimes things pop up and it changes your plans…"

She didn't understand what he meant by that, but she didn't care to find out either, "Yeah… I get it"

"It's your friend…boyfriend, going with you?"

She continued to frown, "I think we should leave him out of our conversation"

He relented, "Alright… fine"

They arrived at Paula's home and he did help get Paula out of the car, then inside. She hated to admit it but her friend was a little too heavy for her to carry on her own.

He helped take her upstairs to her bedroom, and put her in her bed, looking around the room when he was done, "I would not have expected her room to look like this"

Michonne followed his gaze, "Yeah… very girly"

"Very? She has a shelf full of ponies?", Mike pointed over his shoulder at the shelf in question, "I would have expected whips and handcuffs or something"

Michonne hated the fact that she laughed so loud at his little joke, "Yeah… sadly, there are no whips"

"She's probably got them hiding around here somewhere"

Mike left the bedroom and Michonne led him back downstairs. Relief washed over her when he was ready to leave on his own accord, as she didn't feel completely comfortable being left alone with him.

"So… did you have fun tonight?"

Michonne leaned on the open front door, "Yeah, it was fun. You?"

He nodded as he looked out to the street, "Yeah… have to enjoy myself while I can"

She winced at him, "While you can?"

He looked back at her, pushing his hands in his baseball jacket, "Yeah… life and all"

"Oh… yeah. Life", She didn't understand his vague answer but she still didn't care to find out the meaning behind it.

"Well, I better get going… you should probably get some rest"

"You too. And thanks so much for everything… Paula would appreciate it… when she wakes up"

He smiled at her, "Yeah she should probably sleep that off…"

Michonne wasn't sure what was happening as she stood staring at him in the doorway. However she was sure that the two of them shouldn't have been gazing in to each other's eyes for as long as they did.

She cleared her throat and looked to his feet, "Uh well, get home safe, thanks again"

"Yeah... yeah… good night… well good morning but uh-"

"I get it, night"

She closed the door and groaned as she leaned against it, muttering to herself, "Great. Just great"


	24. Chapter 24

"Oh god, my head"

Rick opened an eye and quickly closed it. The room was too bright for him, way too bright.

"Shit"

He heard Glenn fumbling around as he tried to gather himself together. He wiggled his toes in his socks in an attempt to wake the rest of his body, and noticed his arm felt numb. He opened the same eye again and peered around lazily, before both his eyes popped open.

Jenny was asleep on his arm, her back towards him as she lay topless. He looked at Glenn with wide, panicked eyes, and all Glenn did was mimic his look.

"Why is she topless?!", He mouthed to his friend.

"I don't know!", Glenn breathed back.

Rick wanted to groan but he didn't want to wake her. He gingerly rolled his arm upwards, trying to free himself from her, when she turned over in her sleep and faced him. Both he and Glenn looked away instinctively as she snuggled up to him.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck", Rick breathed, wishing he were elsewhere.

He made another move, sliding away from her, but instantly regretting it, as he didn't realise that he was on the edge of the bed and rolled off. Luckily, Daryl broke his fall. His other friend opened his eye and frowned at Rick as he lay on top of him.

"Ouch!", Sasha hissed beside Daryl.

"Sorry!", Rick whispered back as he climbed off them both.

He moved so quickly that his head felt like it was swimming as he stood up straight. He looked around the room through squinted eyes and questioned where he was. It was quite obviously a hotel room but he couldn't remember anything else.

"What happened with…", Glenn questioned.

Rick looked back down at Jenny, "I don't…"

He stopped when he noticed a topless Shane on the other side of Jenny. Relief swept over him. He hoped that the two of them had gotten caught up with each other and somehow landed next to him. A hard knock on the door made both Rick and Glenn jump and ripped them from their thoughts.

"Room service!"

Rick's face was a picture of confusion as he looked at the door. He glanced at Glenn, who shrugged at him, before going to answer the door. The hotel employee wheeled in a tray of food, his eyes scanning the room curiously. Rick moved out the way to let him pass, when he felt something vibrate beside his foot. He bent down to move the phone to a table, when he saw Michonne's name on the screen. He realised it was Sasha's phone.

He was going to answer it but she hung up. He didn't know why he continued to look at the screen, but he did, and he noticed she had sent Sasha a few texts beforehand. He wondered if they had been talking all night, and if she knew they were out of town. He hoped she wasn't mad at him for not telling her about it though he knew chances were slim.

Just as he put the phone down, the screen lit up as she sent her another text. He didn't want to be nosey, but he saw Michonne's name again.

The Mike situation got really weird! Help! xoxo

Rick nearly dropped the phone. He reread the message a few more times, just in case he read it wrong, but it only had seven words so he could only misunderstand it to an extent. He put the phone down and looked around the room aimlessly as he tried to compose himself.

His mind was racing, he didn't know what to say or do, so he just walked around in a tiny circle as he tried to understand what she meant.

"What's up with you?", Glenn asked as he took a bite out of large cheeseburger.

Rick frowned at the food, before shaking his head, "Nothing… we just… we gotta head out soon… what time is it?"

Glenn looked at his watch, "Two"

Rick nodded, "Alright. Alright"

He was getting dizzy from walking around. He threw himself down on the desk chair and stared at the wall as he tried to calm himself. It didn't work.

"Well good morning beautiful people… Oh well hello", Shane stopped stretching when he noticed Jenny beside him, "Good morning indeed"

"Hey! How are you guys?"

Rick, Shane and Glenn all screamed when the blonde girl sat up from the floor on the other side of the bed. Daryl and Sasha both sat up alarmed, looking around frantically.

"Who…", Rick asked as his eyes sailed across his friends, hoping one of them could answer him.

"Stacey! You don't remember?", She scoffed, "Oh yes! Room service is here! I'm starved!"

"Oh my god", Jenny gasped as she grabbed the sheets from the bed to cover herself.

The teenage boys were all looking between each other with confused frowns, when they heard the toilet flush in the bathroom. Glenn slowly moved away from the door as he was closest to it. A tall bearded man appeared, and he too had no top on, and instead wore shorts and a pair of flip flops.

"Sleeping on the bathroom floor will really mess you up man", He groaned as he rolled his shoulders, "Worst idea ever"

Rick pinched his nose bridge as he tried to remember what had happened the night before.

"Who the hell are you?", Shane screeched at the man as he stood up.

The man's head jerked back as looked genuinely offended, "Jared! Remember?! I got you the alcohol!"

"He did", Sasha nodded as she stood from the floor, "And we met Stacey at the burger bar…"

"Exactly! Serena remembers!", Stacy giggled as she took a bite of the burger Glenn had put down.

Sasha sent Stacey a death stare.

"Okay well, we need to get going soon so…", Rick rose from his seat as he clapped his hands together, "So everyone get ready"

"Nice! Where we going next?", Jared asked as he leaned against the door frame to the bathroom.

"Oh can we stop at my house? I have to get my dress if we're going out again", Stacey requested.

Rick stared at the two of them, before looking at Shane, who was looking at the strangers like they had just fell from the sky.

"We have to go home. We don't live here", Rick clarified, "This was fun and all but… it's a damn Sunday so…"

"Oh! You're no fun Jackson", Stacey huffed.

Rick looked behind him as he tried to figure out who she was speaking to, "Jackson?"

"Has anyone seen my shirt?", Jenny piped up, looking around the room.

"Yeah. Here", Sasha handed Jenny the shirt from the desk, and picked up her phone at the same time.

Rick watched her as she tapped on the screen a few times. Her eyes widened a fraction, before darting up in Rick's direction. His stomach sank even further. She cleared her throat and stuffed her phone in her back pocket. Rick already felt confused about Michonne's text to her friend, and Sasha's reaction didn't help that feeling at all.

It took longer than Rick would have liked for them all to leave the hotel. He just wanted to get home but it seemed no one else saw the same urgency. Sasha and Daryl rode with him in his car, while Shane took Glenn and Jenny.

"It was fun though wasn't it?", Daryl rasped as Rick turned on to the highway.

"I can just about remember…", Rick sighed tiredly, "In fact I don't remember much"

"You drank a lot…"

"Yeah… I think Jared was on drugs"

"He was", Daryl answered flatly as he looked out the window.

Rick nodded as his friend confirmed his suspicions about the beamed stranger. He was going to say something else when he heard a phone ringing behind him. He peered in the rear view mirror at Sasha as she answered.

"Oh hey… Uh… yeah I did get it", Her eyes flicked in Rick's direction, then back out the window, "I'm pretty tired, can I call you when I get in? We're on our way back so... Yeah… Yeah... No… okay, bye"

Rick opened the window as he felt himself getting warm. He didn't want to eavesdrop on Sasha's conversation but he was desperate to know what was going on.

…

By the time the teens arrived back in town, Rick was willing to dump Sasha and Daryl off anywhere so he could go straight home. He tried not to make it obvious that he was trying to rid himself of them, though he was sure Sasha picked up on his eagerness.

When he did finally arrived home, he went straight to the stairs, until he heard movement from the back of the house, "Mom?!"

"In here!"

He walked to the kitchen as he rubbed his neck, tiredness finally kicking in. He found his mother cooking dinner with the radio playing faintly in the background.

"Oh good, glad your both finally home, I hated being alone in the home all night", She joked as she cut an onion.

"Michonne home?", He asked as he leaned on the counter.

His mother's brow furrowed at the counter, "No? I thought she just came in with you?"

Rick tried to hide his anxiety, "Nah, she slept at Paula's last night"

"Oh okay, where were you then?", She probed as she raised an eyebrow.

"Shane's", He lied, making his way over to the fridge.

"Oh alright. Well she'll probably be home soon. I saw her mother this morning as well, she came to see if she was home too"

Rick bit his cheek as he listened.

"I think she might want her to move back in with her"

Rick's head whipped towards his mother, "What gives you that idea?"

His mother snorted, "Well they're spending a lot of time together. They seem to be bonding again and it's nice to see. I hope you and I could… have that opportunity"

He grabbed a bottle of water out the fridge and faced his mother, "Yeah… Uh, where is he?"

His mother sighed as she scooped up the chopped onions, "He left yesterday… he's staying in a little one bed apartment somewhere… He just took a few things…"

Rick scowled at the other side of the kitchen, "Good".

"I just… I know why you're mad at him. I'm mad at him too. But he's still your father, and he still loves you-"

"I don't care", Rick cut in coldly.

She looked at him, "I just want you to remember that"

Rick rolled his eyes and he pushed off the counter, "I'm gonna have a shower"

He left his mother in the kitchen and headed upstairs. The last person he wanted to discuss was his father. He was tempted to call Michonne instead but figured she would be home soon so he didn't see the point just yet. He chose to try and calm his paranoia by relaxing and waiting for her arrival.

…

"Rick?"

Rick groaned as he rolled over to his stomach, shielding his face with his arms, "It's too early"

"It's actually ten in the evening so… no"

He opened an eye when he recognised Michonne's voice. She was sitting on the edge of his bed, wearing her pyjamas with her hair tied up.

"I got home a while ago… had a shower and… talked to your mom for a little while"

He opened the other eye as he rolled back on to his back.

"I went to my mom's after I left Paula's…"

He gave the world's smallest nod as he watched her, "Do you want to move back in with your mom?"

She froze, obviously not expecting the question. Her eyes dropped down to his hand on the mattress, "I do but… I don't see the point right now. I can just see her in the day or something…"

His tongue did laps around his teeth as he prepared his next question, "What happened with Mike?"

She visibly tensed, her eyes darting all over his face, "Did Sasha tell you?"

He shook his head, "No. I was picking her phone up off the floor when I saw your text"

She closed her eyes as she looked away, "He was at Pete's party. We went. He wanted to clear the air so I agreed… he dropped us back at Paula's"

"...What made it weird?"

"...I… we just looked at each other for a little too long… it make it… awkward"

Rick felt his stomach tighten, "...You looked at each other too long?"

"Yeah, that was it"

"...You still like him?"

She looked back at him with a frown, "No, Rick. I don't like him in that way anymore. It was just a weird moment and I didn't want to give him the wrong impression"

He nodded as he ran his hand over his face, "What's going on here Michonne?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…", He dropped his hand back on the mattress, "We're growing apart. We barely see each other anymore and it's… I'm struggling over here"

"You left town and didn't tell me", She narrowed her eyes at him, "You didn't get back until what, five in the afternoon? You know this is my day off and you didn't think to-"

"I was wrong for that. I know I was, and I'm sorry, but…", He rested his hands on his head as he looked up at the ceiling, "It's like I can't help myself. I feel like I can't control what's happening between us, you're going one way and I'm going the other and it's… it's messing with me"

She rested her hand on his knee, "I get it… but if you're serious about everything that you want for us then we just have to put up with it for a while…"

He sighed as he shook his head, "I don't think I can"

Her brow furrowed at his words, "What?"

He sat up in the bed and took her hands in his, but she pulled away from him.

"What do you mean you don't think you can?"

He grabbed her wrist, "Wait. Don't do that just, just let me explain to you-"

"Are you breaking up with me?", She breathed as she still attempted to pull away from him.

"Michonne", He warned, "Here me out"

"Oh my god-"

"Stop!"

She slipped from his hold and stood up. Rick moved at lightning speed off the bed and to his door to stop her. He parked himself in front of her with his hands out.

"Let me out, Rick", She ordered, her arms crossed over her chest.

"I want to talk to you. Please. Can we just talk without it becoming some big argument, please?", He pleaded to her.

She didn't say anything, she just stared at him.

"I don't know… if I can stay sane with you gone. I can't. It doesn't work for me. When you're not around I feel like I'm just… just floating around for you to come back and it's…I don't know how the hell I'm meant to cope when you go off to college when I'm barely coping now when you're still here"

"So what do you want Rick? What's your solution? Because your speaking as if your giving up"

He rolled his eyes shut as he dropped his head back against the door, "I don't know Michonne. I wish I did, but I don't"

She shook her head as she looked down at her feet, "I'll make it easier for you then"

His head rolled up to look at her.

"I'm breaking up with you. So you're free to do whatever you want with whoever you want and you don't have to worry-"

"I don't want that!", He looked at her with disbelieving eyes as he stepped closer to her.

"You don't know what you want! You want to get married and have kids and all of that good stuff but yet you get back if we don't spend the evening together! How are we meant to work towards all of that when you just want to up and leave when you don't get your way!"

He pinched his nose bridge as he tried to think straight, "I'm trying. I am trying-"

"No. You're not. Because if you were then we wouldn't be here right now, would we? I don't like being away from you, I hated it but I was willing to put up with it for now because I know it won't last forever but all you care about is the 'now'-"

"You won't make me feel bad for missing you. That's not fair"

"I'm not trying to make you feel bad, I just want you to realise that this isn't permanent! And you just can't- you have no patience at all-"

"So you'd just break up with me? Is it that easy for you?"

"No Rick! I just… I don't know what else you want me to do"

Rick looked down at her, and saw how deflated she looked. He felt horrible and knew she did to. He wished he could handle everything as well as she did but it was wearing him down. All he wanted was to spend more time with her, though if he could have it his way, she'd never leave his side.

He dragged his hands over his face as he looked around his room, "Let's go"

She frowned at him, "What?"

"Let's go. Just pack a few thangs and go. We'll just drive around until… until we don't want to anymore-"

"Rick. What on earth-"

"We'll get back before you leave for college. We will. But let's just leave town and go on our own adventure till then. Just you and me?"

He could see he was getting through to her. Her eyes searched his as if she was trying to picture it then and there.

"...What about work? The police academy, both our moms-"

"Let's go. We'll deal with everythan' else when we get back. I promise", He cupped her face with his hands as he rested his forehead against hers.

He didn't have a plan. He didn't know what he was doing, he just hoped that a break away from everyone and everything In Kings County would help them somehow. He was willing to give it a try at least.

"Fine"

"We'll go?"

"We'll go".

He smiled down at her, the anxiety that had been plaguing his existence for the previous weeks finally leaving him alone.

There really was no urgency, but they both moved fairly quickly and quietly throughout out the home. Rick was hoping to keep everything in one bag, and so he didn't pack anything he considered unnecessary. He wrote his mother a note and stuck it on the bathroom door so she saw it when she woke up. He did feel awful leaving her that way but he felt so strongly about leaving that he couldn't see anything else.

He put his bag in the back of his car next to Michonne's as she ran up to her mother's home. She slipped a note through the door and hurried back to his car. He climbed in and nearly yelped when he saw Rocky in the passenger seat.

"Leave her", Rick insisted.

"What? No!", Michonne hissed as she sat down in the seat, lifting Rocky on her lap.

He shook his head as he waited for her to ready herself. His eyes scanned over the dimly lit street and he felt an excitement brewing within him when he looked up at the night sky.

"Ready", Michonne sighed as she sat back, wearing a jacket over her pyjamas.

"You look amazing Cha-Cha", He chuckled at her.

"Stop it. I'm comfortable", She defended as she looked down amazing time the bunny print.

"Hopefully we don't get pulled over or else I'll look like I kidnapped you and the damn cat", He shook his head at the thought as he pulled out the drive way.

She snickered at him.

He looked over at her, "Let me see that smile"

She looked at him, and he could have sworn he heard his heart sing.

"My favourite girls smile"


End file.
